RV Life Daily Blog – New Year’s Eve 2023

Sunday, December 31, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

We started the day with breakfast and mimosas. Afterward, Rich helped a neighbor lady fix her television that wasn’t working, and I spent the entire morning reading and writing.

A good Mimosa is just pulp-free orange juice and good brut champagne. Half and half, or two-thirds orange juice and one-third champagne. Depends on your personal preference as to how strong you make it.

We video-called family and watched them open the Christmas presents we sent.

The toys, games, and books were a hit with the grandsons.

After the youngest grandson decided he was done and turned us off, we headed to The Wharf in Orange Beach for supper and New Year’s Eve music and fireworks. A couple we met at the campground followed us there.

We parked the car and walked toward the main street and noticed confetti on the ground everywhere we looked. Earlier in the day there was a confetti drop for the kids. How fun it would have been to be there for that.

We headed to Yo Ho Rum and Tacos for supper. We found this place a while back and loved it. The ambiance makes us feel like we are in a high-quality place while eating reasonably priced-food. Tacos are only $4 each here at regular price and are amazing.

We visited and talked and laughed while watching the sunset in the west.

After supper, we headed to the Boat Bar and sat in some of these blue chairs near the band. The four of us had a blast drinking and laughing and people-watching. I found out that the lady we were with has the same birthday as me. How often does that happen?

I was glad we showed up early, ate some food, and found perfect seats before the huge crowds showed up. It was quite chilly once the sun went down and we were cold. We all had on long pants, long sleeves, and coats and we were still cold.

Some of the people, especially young girls, walked by wearing shiny miniskirts, four-inch high heels, and skimpy tops. They looked beautiful, but I bet they were freezing in the 40-degree temperatures.

I never did find out the name of the band, but they were quite good. They played a mixture of 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. I heard a lot of Elton John songs, Fleetwood Mac, and even some country songs by Alabama.

It was a great New Year’s Eve. It ended up getting too cold for us four old people to stay clear until midnight. We left at 10:30 as it was also getting too crowded and too loud. We wimped out on the fireworks.

Crawling in bed at 11:30, we were able to hear the huge fireworks at midnight only two miles away. I have seen so many fireworks in my lifetime that I was able to close my eyes and see them as I listened to them.

It was a great way to end the year of 2023. We had a nice evening out with new friends, good food, and good music.

I hope you had a nice New Year’s Eve too.

Thanks for reading.

RV Life Daily Blog – 12/30/23

Saturday, December 30, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

It’s New Years Eve Eve!

As I sit here drinking my coffee and glancing out the window, I can see that the campground is beginning to fill up with RVers from all over the country; mostly northerners coming south for the winter.

I expect that a lot of them stayed home to spend Christmas with their families before coming south to warmer weather for January, February, and March.

We have met travelers from Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan, just in the last few days. Last week someone from Montana pulled in.

It was such a nice day we decided to get out of the RV and go do something. The first place we went was to the Gulf State Park on Lake Shelby.

Although we have driven through the park we had not pulled in and parked or looked around much. The pier is partially closed due to damage sustained from Hurricane Sally.

There were lots of decorations and I bet it is pretty after dark. I wonder what people in Ohio would think if we had put a lighted alligator in the yard.

Or a shark. The park was booming with tourists. There seems to be more people now that Christmas is over. It is also vacation week for many and we have been seeing more college students.

From the park, we headed east from Orange Beach to Perdido Key. The condos and hotels along the shore are magnificent, and gated.

We drove past Perdido Key to Pensacola and pulled into Palafox Pier. It was packed and all parking spots were full. I didn’t want to walk two blocks so I just snapped a picture of the Plaza de Luna Memorial Monument as we drove past.

Located on South Palafox Street at the end of Palafox Pier. Visitors to Plaza de Luna are greeted by a life-size statue of Don Tristan de Luna, a splash fountain, concessions, and historic markers. It’s a great place to fish, walk, and enjoy a cool breeze. — Pensacola Parks & Recreation

This is a beautiful area, and we will come back on a nice day and much earlier so we can park closer.

We drove by an old Rolls-Royce and Rich said to get a picture of it.

Google says it is a 1960s (63 — 65) Silver Cloud.

Next, we pulled into the picnic area on the south side of the Naval Live Oaks Nature Preserve, which is north of Pensacola Beach.

The seagrass beds in the shallow waters here provide habitat, food, and protection for fish, crabs, and shrimp. A family (mom, dad, and three little children) walked past us carrying buckets and scoopers. I asked them what they were looking for and they said crabs.

Rich walked around down near the water while I stayed up on the shore.

My right knee is quite sore, and swollen, and hurts to walk on it. Rich said he didn’t want me to go down there cause the sand looked wet and squishy.

We both wondered what these hundreds of little sand volcanoes were so I Googled it of course. It seems during extremely low tides, ghost shrimp will burrow up to four feet deep and wait for higher water.

Ghost shrimp live in the Gulf of Mexico and are more closely related to crabs, than to shrimp.

I doubt he is going to find anything. Google says that these shrimp burrow up to four feet deep. Ghost shrimp can live up to six days in burrows such as these without any air or oxygen.

We drive by Columbia Southern University every day on the Foley Express. It is a beautiful building and I decided to get a photo of it today.

We didn’t have much alcohol on hand for the new year, so we decided to stop in a liquor store and pick up a few things. We do enjoy drinking whiskey and soda (like Sprite Zero and Pepsi Zero). This package of Jim Beam and a glass was only $15.99.

We also enjoy some Vodka and Diet Cranberry Juice occasionally. This bottle of Seagram’s was only $6.99. We drink diet because of our sugar. Rich is a severe diabetic and has to watch. I am only borderline.

And of course, for breakfast, a good Mimosa cocktail hits the spot. Some people like 2 parts Champagne to 1 part juice. We usually just do about half and half.

Thanks for allowing me to share another day with you. And thanks for reading.

RV Life Daily Blog – 12/29/2023

Friday, December 29, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

I haven’t journaled much about the last three days in the RV. I’ve been inspired to write about other things. We took a hiatus from sightseeing for a few days and stayed inside doing nothing too interesting.

Wednesday, the 27th, we drove to Walmart in Foley, picked up some groceries, and ordered our monthly prescriptions for refills.

Thursday, we drove back to Walmart to pick up our prescriptions and decided to get the oil changed in the car. Seems it was past due.

Today is Friday and we are moving across the street. Originally, we were scheduled to only stay in this campground for one month, so we were camped in a spot that was already reserved for January through March.

If you look at the main photo above, you will notice that there is an empty spot beside us, and the people coming in are traveling together and wanting to camp side by side.

When we asked to stay for another month our only option was if we moved to a single spot across the street. Yes, that is fine with us. It makes us feel as if we traveled to a new place.

Previously we were facing west which allowed us to watch the sunset at night when sitting outside under the awning. Now we are facing east and will be viewing the sunrise in the morning with our coffee.

The two empty spots are ready for the new neighbors. I wonder who they are and where they are from.

It is quite chilly here today but the sun is shining and the blue sky is practically cloudless.

We have more shade on this side of the street. That can be a good thing when it’s hot, or not so good when it’s cooler.

We were completely moved and set back up by noon.

I dug out some yarn and decided to crochet while watching television.

I love making things like this. Maybe next year for Christmas everyone will get placemats.

Thanks for letting me share my day with you.

 

Christmas #2 in the RV

Monday, December 25, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

I still remember the day we pulled away from our house on the traveling adventure of a lifetime. It was April 25, 2022.

Our first Christmas in the RV last year was spent in Florida. This year we are in southern Alabama. I wonder where we will be next year.

At our age, Christmas is just another day. We slept late, did laundry, and visited with some RV neighbors. Making new friends on Christmas Day this year was truly a blessing.

A man named Walt lives beside us and a woman named Alex lives a few spots down. They came over and sat with us under the Christmas lights and we shared traveling stories.

Instead of celebrating with family on December 25, we had family here for three days from the 21st to the 24th. That is what made this Christmastime special for us. We celebrated, ate good food, walked the beaches, played games, and shopped.

Christmas is being with family. Some of our family is spread out all over and we video-called with those we couldn’t physically be near. Technology helps make it special too.

It’s challenging to wake up on Christmas morning and realize it is just another day in the RV. There are times I feel sad and lonely and know that we are missing special Christmas memories by not living in a house. But I still wouldn’t trade this time that we get to travel for anything.

How was your Christmas special this year?

I hope you all had a great day celebrating in whatever way you celebrate this time of year.

 

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.