The gibbons put on quite a show at the zoo. They were my favorite.

Our little winter hiatus has come to an end and the Bliss is back on the road. Our time in Florida was good to us. Chris nagged me often to update the blog but what do you say on a travel blog when you aren’t traveling? I assumed people didn’t want to read about my stationary life.  But, if you’d like a recap of our winter, here it is…

Emerson and I enjoyed weekly visits to the Lowry Park zoo where we stared in awe at the gibbons as they would swing effortlessly from rope to rope.  We squealed at the icky snakes as they slithered around in their glass boxes (Okay, I squealed. She didn’t seem care.)  And, we were hypnotized by the graceful movements of the large manatees. It is a beautiful zoo and we (I) thoroughly enjoyed walking around and being among other moms with strollers.

Me and my little pirate at Gasparilla

We also participated in weekly Gymboree classes so Emerson could be with other babies, eat the class handouts, pull other childrens’ hair, and chew on the teacher’s flash cards/musical instruments/and any other object that could fit into her mouth. We took a sign language class and it would probably work except Chris keeps making up his own signs and confusing our child.

We had the pleasure of meeting up with another full-time Airstream family, Shiny Camper.  Mat, Lisa and Simon hit the road in September 2010.  They were staying at a nearby RV park so we were able to meet up with them often. It was so nice to talk with another traveling family and share our stories. Check out their blog for some fantastic photos and accounts of their travels.

That? Oh, that's just a Buff Laced Bearded Frizzle at the Florida State Fair.

For the third year in a row, we attended Gasparilla. This time, we brought our little pirate along. She was a hit with the drunken college students.

In February, we went to the Florida State Fair. Remember our account of the Strawberry Festival? It’s also a good account of the State Fair. A variety of fried foods, pig races, an exhibition hall that has every “As Seen On TV” product you could possibly imagine, annoying men yelling that they can guess my age and weight, and my favorite, the display of chickens.  No, really, I do like the display of chickens. There are some fascinating looking chickens out there. State fairs are always a good time!

A day at the beach.

We had a lovely afternoon at Honeymoon Island State Park. It was a beautiful day and this was Emerson’s first visit to the beach. Dipping her toes into the water was much more successful here than in the cold waters of Walden Pond. My little girl is growing up. *tear*

And, of course, during this hiatus, we had the joy of witnessing several developmental milestones in Emerson’s life: rolling over, crawling, standing, eight teeth (ouch!), and lots of babbling, cooing, smiles and laughter. It’s amazing how much she has grown.

"Come on! Let's go!!!"

With the weather warming up north of Florida, we decided it was time to hit the road. The Airstream has been baby-proofed and Emerson has explored every little nook and cranny it has to offer. Her favorites? The screened door and that oh-so-tempting blinking green light on the LP Gas Detector. She’s managed to take over our bedroom with her travel crib so Chris and I now sleep in the guest bedroom/dining room/office/living room. Our dog, AJ, is still trying to figure out where he sleeps, but most often, I wake up to find him sharing my pillow. It’s working. And, as I write this, Emerson is taking her first nap in her travel crib. Yep…the Bliss is back.

Kayaking to the Headsprings of Rainbow Springs State Park

I’m back and I promise I will catch up this week! Our final days at Rainbow Springs State Park were glorious.  The temperatures were in the 80s and it was sunny and hot.  So hot, in fact, that I finally got up the nerve to put a swimsuit on and spend some time at the Springs and the park’s pool.  Of course, I tried to go at times when there were no people since I’m a bit uncomfortable wearing a bikini with a pregnant belly.  (I swear, the bikini was the only swimsuit I had that would fit which is why it took me so long to work up the nerve to even go swimming.)  I may have scared some kids away but other than that, all was fine.  It felt great to be in water and get some much-needed exercise.

On Thursday, Chris’ brother came up and we took the kayaks out again.  This time, we made it to the headsprings, which is the main portion of the state park.  The water and grounds were beautiful.  Chris and his brother took the kayaks out again later that day once Chris finished work.  They swam in the headsprings where the temperature is always 72 degrees.  The water was crystal clear and the fish and turtles were abundant.  They even saw an otter. Here’s some video footage of Chris’ underwater exploration.  (Please pardon his loud breathing at the end. The fact that I edited video is an accomplishment. My audio editing attempts will come later.)

Chris’ underwater exploration of Rainbow Springs from Lani Pokrana on Vimeo.

After seeing their video footage and photos of the headsprings, I was determined to go one more time and check out the park’s trails and actually swim in the springs.

View from the trail

Chris and I returned on Friday evening, our final evening in the park.  We walked the trails, which were lined with vibrant pink azaleas.  The sun was setting and creating a beautiful color on the springs.  As the park was closing soon, we had limited swimming time, but we took advantage of the almost-empty swimming area.  Chris grabbed snorkel gear and our camera and took off exploring.  I enjoyed floating leisurely in the warm springs.  Sadly, Chris took video of this moment.  If you’d like to get an idea of what I look like swimming, just Google “whale swimming” and you’ll get a pretty good picture.  Thankfully, Chris took lots of video and not just the one of me and my belly floating contentedly.

We returned to our site and began our packing up process.  We both admitted to feeling sad to leave this park.  It was a great two weeks.  We met some fabulous people, including Jim and Julie from Ohio.  They were our incredible neighbors who shared their breakfast with us twice, dinner once, and then gave us their outdoor carpet.  Um…how awesome are they?

The swimming area at Rainbow Springs State Park

We also met a really cool couple from Canada, Marcel and his wife, Suzanne (I hope I’m not spelling her name wrong…).  They travel in a Safari Condo Alto.  Chris has really wanted to see inside one of these trailers so, of course, he wasted no time in introducing himself and asking for a tour.

Lastly, this was also the first campsite where family has been able to come visit us.  It was great having people over for a cookout and some outdoor fun.  We definitely left this park with some great memories and are hopeful for a return visit someday.  They ARE looking for camphosts.  Hmmm…tempting….

Roadside art or a nuisance? What do you think of the Airstream Ranch?

Last week was an eventful, expensive and monumental week in our lives.  First, we realized that our Airstream warranty was expiring on March 17th.  Yikes!  This date became known to us about week before when I came across the paperwork and thankfully we were somewhat close to Bates RV, an Airstream service center.  Chris and I sat down and made a list of all of the items we wanted checked or repaired.  It included minor items such as a faulty latch on a cabinet, resulting in the cabinet opening during travel, to more involved items, such as an inoperable sewer flush and electric jack.  We also wanted our tires checked (to confirm how many new tires we needed), our battery checked, and a propane leak test performed.

You are now entering the Vintage Airstream Village

I called Bates and the soonest they could see the Airstream was March 16th, one day before expiration.  Phew! We dropped the Airstream off with our list of requests and said goodbye to our cute little aluminum home for the week.  We enjoyed our brief tour of Bates RV – a location that is well-known among Airstreamers for the “Airstream Ranch,” a roadside attraction along I-4.  In addition to the Ranch, they also have the Airstream Village at the front entrance.  The village, a setup of four or five vintage Airstreams, is actually part of the Sales Department.  Each vintage Airstream is an office.  It was quite awesome.

We recently learned that the Ranch was the subject of a lawsuit.  While many supporters of the Ranch consider it roadside art, some neighbors regard it as an eyesore and the County deemed it a nuisance, fining Mr. Bates $100 per day.  In February, a panel of judges considered the Ranch to be legal…not necessarily artwork…but legal, nonetheless, stating “county officials had not produced substantial, competent evidence establishing that the display created a nuisance, was a commercial sign or constituted an open storage of the vehicles.”  So, the Airstream Ranch lives on! (Here’s a link to an article re: the lawsuit.)

One of the "Sales Offices" in the Vintage Airstream Village.

Thankfully, when we picked our home up on Friday, we learned that our requested repairs were covered by warranty.  We learned that we need to have our roof resealed but it was going to be a very expensive task and by Friday, we couldn’t go forward with that expense or the time it took to have it done.  We’d also like to say a special “Thanks” to Pat of the Bates Service department.  Due to an unexpected staff shortage, they had a crazy week at Bates and by Friday, we were really hoping to have our home back.  When we had not received a call by 4:00 and were having difficulty reaching an actual person, we hopped in the car and made our way to Dover to inquire.  We were able to get in touch with someone on our way there and they confirmed that we could pick up the Airstream before 5:00.  Unfortunately, traffic was terrible.  So, thanks to Pat and a very nice woman working the desk (whose name we did not get) for staying past 5:00 on a beautiful Friday and waiting for us to pick up our home. We really appreciate it that they stuck around, answered our questions, and went over the paperwork with us!  (Hope everyone is feeling better!)

More "offices".

As I mentioned, it was an expensive week.  On Thursday, our dog, A.J. had surgery.  What began as a simple cleaning routine with a reasonable estimate turned into a tooth extraction and tumor removal procedure with a not-so-reasonable final, confirmed price tag.  I hope A.J. appreciates his pretty teeth and slimmer leg now.  I know he doesn’t appreciate the Elizabethan collar that he is forced to wear.  I do feel sorry for him with that hideous collar around his neck.  He bumps into things and looks at me with those big bug eyes that say, “please, what did I do to you? Why must you torture me?”.   I do remove it when I take him for a walk so others won’t laugh at him.  And, I take it off when he needs to eat.  But, when I try to put it back on, his resistance is growing more violent.  He’s not a happy camper right now.

An unhappy (and somewhat drugged) camper.

Lastly, it was a monumental week.  Yes, there’s the passing of the health care bill which is significant in our country’s history.  But, that’s not what I’m referring to.  And, while I have felt many baby kicks, last week we actually saw my belly move when the baby was kicking.  That was pretty exciting, too.  But, that’s not the event I am referring to either.  On February 12th, while we were in Savannah, Chris and I both purchased a Ghirardelli chocolate bar.  I finished mine approximately three days after purchase. (And, I was quite proud that it lasted that long.)  On Sunday, March 21st, Chris finally finished his chocolate bar.  He would only take a little nibble of the bar every few days and, at one point, he actually forgot he had the chocolate.  Meanwhile, every time I opened the cabinet, I swear the chocolate bar got up and danced and taunted me.  So, it’s finally gone.  I no longer have to look at the gold wrapper covering a hazelnut chocolate bar and test my willpower every time I open my cabinet.  It may seem so insignificant to you, I know.  But, trust me, the moment is totally worth an entire paragraph of a blog entry.

This week, we are back on the road in our super clean and nicely repaired home with two new tires.  It feels good.  We landed a great first-come, first-served spot at a fabulous Florida State Park and I look forward to telling you all about it…in my next entry.

Oh, Strawberries...how I adore thee...

We love strawberries.  In fact, I can’t stress enough how much we love strawberries.  Plain strawberries, sugar-coated strawberries, chocolate-covered strawberries, whipped cream-covered strawberries, strawberry smoothies, strawberry shortcake, strawberry lemonade, and even, strawberry gum.  (I type this list while doing my best impersonation of Bubba from Forrest Gump.  I recommend you do the same.) Earlier this year during one of our visits to Tampa, the Florida Strawberry Festival was mentioned in conversation.  Chris and I, realizing that we would be spending a significant amount of time in Florida this winter, became very excited and checked online to see when said festival would be occuring.  Skip ahead two months and we have completely forgotten about the festival…until this past weekend thanks to divine intervention.

The Strawberry Festival in Plant City, Florida

We left Jacksonville not knowing where we were headed next. Typical.  Would we go to the Ft. Lauderdale area or to Tampa to see Chris’ family?  Hmmmm….  Once we got on the road we learned it was Bike Week and lots of campgrounds along the eastern coast of Florida were completely booked.  Not that we don’t appreciate motorcycles, but we weren’t in the mood for a lengthy campground search. And traffic, both bikes and cars, was…well…icky.  So, we began our trek to Tampa.  Along the way, I just happened to look up and see a billboard advertising strawberries at one of the local markets which just happened to cause me to search once again for the strawberry festival.  Oh my goodness…you guys! You’ll never believe it.  The strawberry festival in Plant City is happening RIGHT NOW.   And, even better, Plant City is on the way to Tampa. Guess where we’re going!?!?

A well-balanced meal of Krispy Kreme Donut Burgers topped with Cheese and Bacon. This isn't quite what we were expecting at the Strawberry Festival.

By the time we arrived, it was getting pretty late in the day and traffic getting to the festival was still pretty crazy. I was almost ready to give up but when you are pulling a travel trailer, turning around on a crowded, narrow street is not an option.  Luckily, we found a parking lot.  It cost $15 to park for the remaining hours of the festival.  But, guess what?  It’s also a campground! Oh the joy of always having your home with you! So, we were able to park overnight for $20 and were within a few hundred yards of the festival entrance.  Brilliant.

We both had visions of a gigantic Farmers’ Market environment, complete with Pick-Your-Own-Strawberries fields and strawberries galore.  I was thinking Willy Wonka and the Strawberry Factory or a layout similar to the one from my Strawberry Shortcake gameboard from when I was in kindergarten.  Chris apparently had visions of St. Pauli girls walking around with platters of strawberries.  Whatever.  We were both completely wrong. Not entirely disappointed but just completely wrong.

Don't forget appetizers and drinks to go with your Krispy Kreme burger.

Instead of being greeted with the sweet scent of strawberries, we entered the festival to the smells of funnel cakes and cow manure. It was more of a county fair complete with carnival rides, overpriced games that few can truly win, a livestock arena and the most absurd fried foods one could possibly imagine. It was also a quality people watching experience.  We wandered around watching kids excitedly line up for a ride that would most likely have me throwing up instantly. We were quite entertained by the number of people trying to win a goldfish or two.  And, we were amused by the types of food offered.  Sure, we are used to the typical funnel cakes and huge bags of cotton candy.  But, we both saw a booth advertising some foods that we have never seen before and that also frightened us.  Feel like dining at the local county fair?  Why not start off your gourmet meal with an appetizer of deep fried butter (yes, that’s right…fried butter).  Then, after that first course, go grab yourself a Krispy Kreme Donut Burger and uh…don’t forget to add the cheese and bacon.  Top it all off with some dessert of deep fried oreos and wash it down with some deep fried pepsi and you’ve got yourself a true county fair meal.  Um…yum?

Every strawberry festival needs to have a pig race, right?

I’m not sure if this was a strawberry festival or fried foods festival.  It’s a toss up.  (Oddly enough, I didn’t see any fried strawberries.) We did enjoy some time checking out the cows and chickens in the livestock arena as well as enjoying a good ole-fashioned pig race.  Who wouldn’t want to spend their Saturday night cheering on “Dustin Hogman” of the Swine Speedsters as he raced around the track to the sounds of screaming kids? It was a highly entertaining night.  But, where were the strawberries?

Our very own strawberry shortcake.

At long last, we found a hall that contained strawberries.  I saw chocolate-covered strawberries, fresh strawberries, and strawberry shakes. But, we happily settled on the  ”Make Your Own Strawberry Shortcake” Booth where we loaded a bowl with cake, strawberries and tons of whipped cream.  It was definitely satisfying.  With bellies full of strawberries, we walked the few hundred yards back to our happy aluminum home and slept peacefully through the night with vision of strawberries dancing in our heads.  The next morning upon our departure from Plant City, we stopped at a great produce stand and bought a wonderful 1/2 flat of strawberries, freshly picked from a nearby strawberry field.  Best. Strawberries. Ever.

[Want to check out Florida's Strawberry Festival? Go to http://www.flstrawberryfestival.com/ for more information.  The festival ends on March 14th!]

Outside the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida

Well, hello there! It’s been awhile.  We’ve been tending to some personal matters, making important plans, etc. so I fell behind on my entries and realized I never posted about my glorious afternoon in St. Augustine, Florida. Oops! 

Our three weeks in Jacksonville were wonderful.  We went for  strolls on the beach and around the campground’s lake.  We enjoyed the sights and sounds of a family reunion, kids playing on the playground, and a very happy puppy playing in the ocean and running in the sand.  At the top of my “To Do” list was to see St. Augustine but I don’t think  it was on the top of Chris’ list.  He had already seen St. Augustine and I think had other things on his mind.  But, on one Sunday, he graciously agreed to my request and off we went to see this historical city. 

"Cover your ears!"

It was a spectacularly sunny day. (As it should be, after all, this IS the Sunshine State but lately it has been cold and un-Florida like…probably because I’m trying to live my life as a snowbird now and winter is not pleased with me.)  We were quite happy to put away our fleece jackets and sport our short sleeved shirts.  With the weather being so nice, the city was packed.  Luckily, we found a tight and somewhat overpriced parking spot for our monster truck, grabbed a map, and set off on our exploration.

The oldest wood schoolhouse in the USA

Our first stop was the fort, Castillo de San Marcos, which was constructed in 1695.  Here we enjoyed the benefit of having a National Parks Pass. We were able to walk up the ticket booth, flash our Pass, and gain access to the fort so easily!  Seriously…this pass is totally worth it! Go out and get yours today.  I love forts. My love of forts dates back to my childhood.  I have fond memories of visiting Fort Pulaski in Savannah, Georgia.  Additionally, I excelled at building forts in my backyard out of pinestraw, or in my living room out of bedsheets and blankets, and even as an adult, building forts out of snow.  I’m all about the forts.  We walked in and out of the different rooms of the fort, listened to the park ranger tell about the history of the fort and read the various exhibits posted around the fort grounds.  It was very informative and interesting. But, we were anxiously awaiting 3:30 p.m. 

Cathedral of St. Augustine

Finally, at 3:30 p.m. we rushed up to the second level of the fort and watched as men decked out in 17th Century Spanish Colonial uniform marched from the courtyard up to the second level and over to one of the many cannons that lined the wall of the fort.  For the next five to ten minutes, they demonstrated how a cannon is prepped for firing.  And, then, the moment all the children (and most adults) were waiting for: the uniformed men shout, “Cover your ears!” And, with that, the cannon is fired sending a puff of smoke into the air.  It was very exciting. 

After our tour of the fort, we walked over to the historical city streets and strolled along with the thousands of other tourists noting the nice cafes, shops, and churches.  There is a definite charm to St. Augustine and if I could have, I would have plopped myself down on a bench or at a cafe table and passed the remainder of the day by simply watching the happy tourists and enjoying the quaint surroundings.  Instead, we headed back to the truck to return to our campground but not without me finally giving in and stepping foot inside one of the many chocolate shops.  And, lo and behold, this one had gelato.  It was meant to be for this pregnant lady has been needing some gelato.  For anyone who cares, I chose the mixed berry flavor and it was fabulous. Oh happy day!

Learning to live life in the slow lane... (Picture taken in the redwood forests of California).

One of our many reasons for pursuing the Airstream life was to actually enjoy our weekends.  We were finding that when living in our immobile home, we spent our weekends cleaning, catching up on chores/errands, and working on the house while longing to go out and see the sights, take a weekend trip, kayak, hike, or even just lounge in our hammock and read a book.  Sure, we probably could have found ways to make it happen in a not-so-drastic manner but that’s not our style.  So, we embarked on this journey with many goals, one being to finally get out and enjoy the outdoors (in activities that didn’t involve pulling weeds or mowing lawns.)

Enjoying activities we didn't make time for in our Pre-Airstream life. (Picture taken while kayaking in Scappoose Bay, Oregon.)

Unfortunately, I think we started our travels incorrectly and formed bad habits for life as full-timers.  First, our journey started with a somewhat rushed drive across the country to make it to San Francisco for a conference.  This means that while we stayed in campgrounds Mondays through Fridays, our weekends were spent driving.  Lots of driving.  We assumed that after the conference, we would learn to slow down.  And, we definitely did slow down compared to our first month.

We were then confronted with our second challenge.  It was mid-summer and we learned quickly that campsites during the summer can be hard to get for long periods of time.  We were lucky if we would find a site for an entire week and completely blessed if that included a Friday night stay.  This put us spending many of our Saturdays (and, sometimes, Sundays) traveling to our next site.  While our driving times decreased since our next destinations were never too far away, finding an available campground sometimes proved difficult.  As a result, we often failed to see everything we wanted to see or had to see some sights during a quick drive-by.

Enjoying beautiful scenery along the way... (Picture from Port Angeles, Washington)

It doesn’t mean that we didn’t enjoy our weekends.  We were out west where every turn brings you an even more incredibly beautiful sight. Car ride conversations usually consisted of “Wow! Look at that!” or, “That’s beautiful!” So, it was still an incredible journey and much better than cleaning bathrooms and doing laundry.  But, we still longed for non-driving weekends and definitely appreciated them when we had them.

But, why bring this up now? Because for the first time in our Airstream journey, we are at a campground for not one week, not two weeks, but THREE weeks!  THREE WEEKS! So, this weekend we didn’t worry about hitching up, finding our next campground, worrying about whether said campground would have internet, etc.  Nope…this weekend we enjoyed a relaxing, fun-filled weekend!

And, now enjoying walks on the beach at our current location - Jacksonville, FL.

Throughout our journey, we’ve enjoyed meeting up with friends who live in various places around the country and many who we had not seen in quite some time.  This weekend, we had the pleasure of getting together with one of my best friends from my childhood.  She and her family now live in Jacksonville so it was fabulous to spend an evening laughing over memories, catching up, and meeting her adorable children.

On Sunday, we spent an afternoon exploring St. Augustine.  We toured the Fort, saw a cannon firing demonstration, and walked the historic city streets.  I’ll do a separate post about St. Augustine later this week and post pictures of our time there as it is definitely worthy of its own entry.  It was a great afternoon.

Meeting our campground neighbors...

It helped that the weather was warm and the sun was shining brightly.  We came back to the campground feeling rejuvenated and satisfied.  Or, at least, I did.  Chris came back to many hours of work for Sunday evening. But, I still think he enjoyed the weekend.

Another benefit of slowing down is the chance to take in some local cuisine.  We don’t eat out often (not nearly as much as we did pre-Airstream life).  We enjoy cooking our own meals now.  It’s healthier and cheaper.  Plus, often times, there are not a lot of good eating options near campgrounds.  But, since we are just outside a large city we have quite a few eating options…good eating options. (Actually, did you know that Jacksonville is the largest city in land area in the United States? It’s true.)  We typically avoid chain restaurants (with the exception of the occasional Cracker Barrel or Subway on driving days), and seek out the favorite local establishments.  Sometimes restaurants are recommended to us but most recently, we have had good results by using Urbanspoon.com.

And, hoping the alligators don't make a meal out of me...

Since being in the Jacksonville area (we are specifically in Atlantic Beach) we have discovered two glorious places.  One:  DaVinci’s pizza, “where every pizza is a work of art.”  It’s a family-owned establishment that uses fresh ingredients.  The service is friendly, the pizza is delicious and the garlic rolls are a little taste of heaven.  They are convenient to the campground, too! If you are in the area, make sure you check them out: 469 Atlantic Blvd, Atlantic Beach, FL.  Make sure you tell them “Aluminum Bliss” sent you.  They will have no idea what this means but it’s fun to say, right?

Our other restaurant that quickly reached favorite status is Simply Tasty Thai.  And that it is! Great, friendly service and delicious affordable food. I love Thai food and have been craving Drunken Noodle for quite some time.  This exceeded my expectations.  Located approximately 2-3 miles from the campground, this was another Urbanspoon recommendation and I completely concur with the rave reviews.  You can find them at 2292 Mayport Rd in Atlantic Beach.

If you have any recommendations for the area (restaurants, sights to see, etc.), let us know…we’ll be here for awhile! Ah…finally…life in the slow lane!

The beach within walking distance of our campground. Lovely!

Last weekend, as we began our hitching up process to depart Skidaway Island State Park in Savannah, we had the great pleasure of meeting some fellow Airstreamers who had just arrived at the park.  I follow Richard and Jen, of “Shiny Aluminum Love” on Twitter and I’ve also visited their blog on a number of occasions.  In fact, when Chris and I were first shopping for our Airstream (and I had not yet stepped foot into one), I did an online search for Airstream videos and found one of Richard and Jen’s videos giving a tour of their Airstream.  (I neglected to mention this to them when we met…so Richard and Jen, your video was very helpful!)  We chatted for awhile about full-timing, technology, etc.  It was wonderful meeting them! Make sure to check out their site!

The lake at Hanna Park campground.

We left Savannah without a clue as to where we were headed next…only that it must involve driving south.  During our drive along the interstate we saw a wild pig on the side of the road. I’m serious.  Maybe this is common…Chris didn’t seem to care so much.  But, I had never seen a wild pig.  Of course, I couldn’t get a picture since we were on the interstate but trust me…it was there.  It excited me.  I love it when I can add another first to my list.  This got us chatting about all of the animals we’ve seen during our Airstream travels.  Additional firsts (for me)  include: porcupines, mountain goats, and big horn sheep. So, my list of firsts isn’t that long but it excites me nonetheless.

One of the many armadillos seen in the campground

We decided to check out Hanna Park in Atlantic Beach, Florida.  It’s a county park that  I had found through RV Park Reviews earlier in the week.  When I called the park and asked about Verizon service (See! I’m learning to plan ahead now!) they informed me that Verizon was not picked up in the park. For some reason, however, we refused to believe them.  Call us stubborn.  We decided to check it out ourselves…at least for a Saturday night until we made further plans. The park sounded too nice for us to not at least check it out.  (FYI: County parks have worked out really well for us in our travels. They typically are not as well publicized (so they are also less crowded!) as other public parks but I’ve been very impressed with the ones we’ve stayed at all over the country.  So, be sure to check the parks at the county level when you are planning a road trip!)

Our campsite at Hanna Park

We pulled into the park, which is conveniently located between the beach and a lake.  Nice! We checked in at the office where we were told that they DID receive Verizon service.  So, we booked a full week at the park and got a fabulous campsite near the lake.  As we were driving into the park, you’re never going to believe what I saw!  An armadillo!  Okay, again…Chris didn’t care about this but I’ve never seen an armadillo.  So, two firsts in one day! Apparently I have lived a very sheltered life.

The campsites are not huge but do offer some privacy so you don’t feel like you are on top of your neighbor.  Benefits of the park include laundry on-site, full hookups at $25/night, great trails, a campground store, 24-hour security, convenient location to downtown Jacksonville and of course, a beach and a lake!

So, it isn’t really beach (or lake) weather but it’s warm enough for lovely walks to see all the sights (including armadillos and loads of birds) around the campground.  Additionally, the sun has been shining brightly and that makes for a happy Lani.  We’re enjoying the park so much, in fact, that we’ll be staying possibly longer than our one week planned. Stay tuned!

Boats passing and beads flying...it's Gasparilla!

After Fort Lauderdale, we began a return trek to Tampa to meet our new nephews from Haiti (who are adorable, happy, and loved!) and  spend some time enjoying the free camping option of my in-laws’ driveway. By sheer luck, our visit to Tampa coincided with Gasparilla, a big festival and parade event in Tampa that takes place each year.  We happened to go last year (another sheer luck moment) and had an enjoyable time.  Before I go into too much detail, however, allow me to explain the purpose of Gasparilla.   I thought it was just an opportunity for college students (and others who so desire) to partake of obscene amounts of alcohol and attempt to catch beads being thrown from boats while simultaneously trying not to fall into the bay waters. Alas, its current purpose may be just that, but the festival does have historical relevance.

Shiver me timbers! It's Gaspar's ship!

I did a bit of quick research on Gasparilla and here’s what I learned courtesy of Gasparilla’s website.  Jose Gaspar was a legendary pirate who lived an adventurous life terrorizing Florida’s coastal waters in the late 18th and early 19th century.  His last ship raid in 1821 resulted in a bloody battle for Gaspar and his men who unknowingly selected to raid a disguised U.S. Naval Warship. According to the story, Gaspar took his own life as the U.S. commanding officer boarded the defeated pirate ship.  Upon his death, he supposedly left buried treasure off the coast of Florida, although the said treasure has never been found.  In 1904, Tampa’s social and civic leaders were planning a festival for the city and adopted the legendary Gasparilla as the theme for the event and created a mock surprise pirate attack on Tampa.  And, so it continues.  Every January in Tampa, pirates invade and folks gather to watch the pirate ship sail into the Bay.  Beads are thrown, folks in pirate costumes invade the city, and talking like a pirate is perfectly acceptable. Who wouldn’t find some enjoyment with this?

Good times had at Gasparilla!

Both last year and this year, we had the wonderful opportunity to join Chris’ family in attending a Gasparilla party at a house that overlooks the Bay.  This gives us front row seats to watch the pirate ship sail by as well as provides us food and drink.  While the college students took their places around the alcohol table and lined up for beer pong, I, the pregnant woman, carefully guarded the food table until parade time.  The hummus was excellent, I might add.

At last, we heard the blast of the cannons. Off in the distance, preceded by many small boats, was Gaspar’s pirate ship.  Think Mardi Gras…on water.  Music was blasting and beads were flying.  A good time was had by all.

Interestingly enough, during our attendance to Gasparilla last year, our Airstream life was just a crazy idea and not even close to reality. What a year it’s been, aye…mateys?

This snowbird lifestyle really suits me!

We flew to St. Thomas from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, leaving our shiny home for one week at the long term airport parking lot…yikes! Before our departure, we triple-checked this option.  I had heard of others leaving their trailers in RV parks while they were away but that was a rather expensive option…especially in Florida in the winter when the parks are full and the prices are high.  On the Sunday before our departure, we did a trial run.  Having never been to the Fort Lauderdale airport with an Airstream in tow, we wanted to scope out the parking lot.  Would we fit? Was it crowded? Was it safe?  We tested the parking situation and we almost fit into two spots (we stuck out a little on either end but did not block the parking lot rows).  The parking attendant suggested with talk to the economy parking office employees.  So we did and they approved of us parking in two spaces, even if we didn’t fit just right in those spaces.  On Monday, we nervously left our home in the airport parking lot (with a note in the window of the truck explaining that we received permission from the main office to take up two spaces.)  Yes, we were a bit paranoid.

Upon our return, I am happy to report that our humble abode remained in its spot, appearing unharmed.  Chris noted that this is the first time he had ever taken an airport shuttle directly to his home.  Nice!  And, even better…they only charged us for one vehicle.  Perhaps this was a mistake–we did not question nor argue the price.  In the end, we paid $7.50 per day for parking our Airstream. Not too shabby!

Our large campsite at Markham Park in Sunrise, FL

Going against my previous vow (again), I made reservations at Markham Park Campground in Sunrise, Florida so we would have a definitive place to go upon our arrival.  For once, making reservations worked out really well.  I confess, however, that we did check the campground before we left for St. Thomas to make sure it would suit our internet needs.  The campground is located in a huge county park that has 86 RV/tent sites and occupies 666 acres of land at the edge of the Everglades and Alligator Alley.   The sites are huge and the facilities are clean.  We were both impressed with the park campsites but even more impressed with the really nice dog park within walking distance of the campground.

I spent my days enjoying the wonderful Florida warm weather, taking the dogs to the dog park, catching up on my social media (since I had missed an entire week!), and doing a lot of laundry at the local laundromat.  Each night, Chris and I would take the dogs to the park just before dark to let them have one last run.  Buddy successfully marked every tree, fence post, and bench in the park while AJ had his fair share of human interaction (Seriously…he has no interest in the dogs…only the owners).  We met some nice people and, sadly, some not-so-nice people and the dogs appeared quite content for the week.

The dog park at Markham. They have a space for "Little Barkhams" and "Big Barkhams". It's great!!!

As I mentioned before, the park is huge.  And, I, being the idiot that I am, neglected to fully explore the park.  I seemed to keep busy doing other things during the week.  What I should have done, however, was study the campground/park map to see what other features, aside from the spectacular dog park, were offered in the area.  Like I said, it was an incredibly beautiful, sunny week…in fact, I was almost too hot at times.  As we departed the park on Saturday, I glanced down at a piece of paper sitting on the floor of the truck.  It was the campground map.  I picked it up to add it to our recycling pile and noticed the words “Swimming Pool.”  Apparently the park has a really nice swimming pool, that includes a mist pool, snack bar, showers and restrooms.  Doh!  Double Doh!  You have no idea how embarrassed and sad I am that I missed this.  Note to self:  Lani, you are an idiot.  Read the campground map next time.

Nonetheless, we had a great week and I am convinced that I absolutely do not miss winter.   Snowbirds:  an intelligent group of people.

Finally, I’d like to share a story unrelated to Airstream travel but one that made our week even more wonderful.  Chris’ sister, Jen, and her husband, Tim, have been in the process of adopting two little boys from Haiti for two years.  In the days following the tragic earthquake, Tim traveled to Haiti to see what he could do to bring his boys home.  After an exhausting week that included sitting for days at the Embassy, assisting with surgeries in his “spare” time (don’t worry…he’s a paramedic!), and experiencing the many terrifying aftershocks, Tim was able to get the boys’ papers processed as well as the papers of 14 other orphans whose families were eagerly awaiting their arrival in the United States.

On Saturday, all 16 children arrived safely in the United States and were united with their families.  Chris and I had the pleasure of meeting our new nephews, Sammy and Gino and it was an absolutely joyous moment. For more information on their story, check out their blog at www.hisblogherblog.blogspot.com. Also, check out www.haiti-relief.org to donate to Heartline Ministries, an organization that runs the orphanage and is also currently operating a medical clinic, assisting those injured  in the earthquake.  Additionally,  I attach a video provided by Tampa’s ABC Action News of Sammy and Gino’s homecoming. Enjoy!

The eagles keeping watch over the campground

I am really enjoying our campground in Alva, Florida. The weather warmed up these past few days and we have been enjoying the sights of rather large fish jumping out of the water, catching glimpses of manatees (which only come out when we don‘t have the camera in hand), and admiring two large bald eagles that sit perched on a limb looking out at the over the campground.

It's hard to capture just how much of a mess has been created. But, trust me, it's a lot of poo. Eew.

While we are enjoying our visit, apparently the numerous birds in the area are not happy with us being here. (Seriously…there are a lot of birds here.) Do they know of my fear (and sometimes, my hatred) of them? (Chris says “my hatred” is too mean.  So, I apologize. At one time in my life, I had a strong dislike of birds. Over time, an appreciation for birds has developed.  That being said, I still have very little appreciation of the pigeon.) But, in this situation, what did we do? Apparently we did something to ruffle their feathers.

I highly recommend these parking spots offered to campers!

Of all the campsites in this park, I think we got the only one with a tree that sits right next to the entrance of our site. Its branches spread out just perfectly over our newly washed white truck. The birds must have had a nice laugh as they sat comfortably in this tree, releasing their poo all over our pretty white vehicle…which is no longer pretty. Or white. It’s to the point now that other campers are stopping by and commenting on the massive amounts of bird poo that cover the front of the truck. It’s out of control.

I write this only to suggest that if you find yourselves in Site #16 at W.P. Franklin Campground, take advantage of parking spots allotted to campers and move your vehicle to that spot at once! …At least they didn’t mess up the Airstream. Yet.