etrippe1

Looks like Dec is the best bet to get together. We will be in Ft Myers Beach. Where and when in Bonita Springs?

you guys are getting to FL pretty early in the snow bird world. Any idea where you will be in DEC-March?

Freddy and Delcie: Glad to hear you figured out the oxygen so you could stay in CO for the summer. I know how much you guys love it there. Winter plans are changing, the workamping job isn't going to work out in FT Myers Beach, the person they hired to replace me last winter is staying on. I knew that was a possibility when we went west last winter. So we started looking at other parks in the FMB area and soon realized most parks don't use workampers and that it is a very expansive area. Here's what we have figured out, Dec in FMB and Jan-March in Palm Harbor which is still on the gulf side but further north, just above St Pete and Clearwater. We started looking here because it's on the Gulf, has beaches, I have a friend from MI that winters in St Pete and a cousin in Holiday FL. And the price allows me to retire for the winter. Yea! So any of you coming to FL this winter, you know where we will be. My 2nd shoulder surgery was done July 8th and I start PT next Fri. I spent much less time in the op room and therefore the healing process is going better than the first. I think the right had less damage than the left so not as much repair work done. Karla is taking very good care of me and the hardest part is being around our grandkids and not being able pick them up, play or even help much. And so it goes.

We made it back to our summer workamp job here at Illinois Beach State Park. We left CA. 6 weeks after surgery on my left shoulder (torn rotator cuff). Still in recovery but able to drive. We drove shorter amounts in a day and we did have a blow out on the front right tire. Other than that, all is ok. I see a surgeon here on Thurs. to set the date for my right shoulder. Boy will I be glad when this is over. Being w/ the g-kids and not able to pick them up is hard and they don't understand why my arm is in a sling. Stay safe everybody and have a great summer.

thanks Sue, I will be watching. We can also meet at the Desert Bar when people go.

you are right, the traffic gets bad after mid Jan. but the beaches and warmth make up for that. Where we stay in FMB, we can walk, bike or take a trolley to get to the beach. You just work around the traffic.

that will set our plans to be there the 22nd and 23rd. Haven't been there in 5 years so.......will it be in the same general area as before? And we pay for the nites as we go in? Right? See ya all there......

I'm with Sandie!

34 degrees, 20 mile an hour winds from the N, snowing, and we are in Vegas, give me a break. stay warm everybody in the SW. Now if you were in SW FL, 75 degrees with some clouds, let me think, where will I be next year?

it's cold out! it might snow! burrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!! dreaming of SW FL sunny beaches, kayaking, High Tide at sunset, you know what I'm talking about Sue and Paul

we will be there for 2 nites, and it can be when ever. we will be hanging in the area. so margarita night sounds like a good to be there.

It was a great dinner w/ Jim and Sandie, and as always, enjoyed good food and conversation with friends. so it is now time to bump this to the top, and with a burning question.....when are you going to pick a margarita night for "Q" ? We don't want to miss that. hope you had a merry christmas and have happy new new year. see you in Q

we are planning on being there for a couple of days too

Paul, I sent you a PM

Here is our story: Wickenburg AZ, weekend of Nov 14 for the Bluegrass Festival there. Then a bunch of PA parks for 1 week stays in and around Sun City and Mesa till Dec 15-Jan 21, when we will be at a RV Park in Las Vegas, spending some time w/ Karla's daughter and new husband. Then we took advantage of the 1 year free membership at the Colorado River Adventure Parks, so we will be around Parker AZ for a month or so (thanks Linda). And at some point we will be heading to the Northern CA to visit w/ brother and sister there. I will be keeping up with everybody thru this forum and we will make a meet up work, maybe just not Q when everybody is there, but somewhere/sometime. We were thinking of a week or so at Senator Wash/Imperial Dam area, we here there is some nice winter time kayaking going on. keeping in touch

Today we left IBSP and our volunteer job and drove to our friends driveway in MI. We will be here till the end of Oct. Karla and I have Dr and dentist appointments and Kora has her appointments as well. We will be visiting w/ friends and family that are in the area. It was a great summer w/ the job and being with the kids and grandkids. Sad to be leaving. We are however looking forward to our travels out west this winter.

as all the others have said, Happy Anniversary you too! Glad for the ups when the downs hit, happy for the both of you

I do know about the weather in the NW in April, but like I said, it is what works. But plans do change. Who knows, we might just drive a car up to Portland to do what we need to do. As far as kayaks, http://liquidlogickayaks.com/deuce_coupe.cfm is what we own. And really like it. If we had two it would be the deuce.

hey guys, since leaving FL we haven't been out either. Weather, family and work are keeping us pretty busy and out of the water. Thanks Freddy for bumping up the thread. Jerri, we have a tandem and overall I like it better. Being only one boat to deal was a big deal and I figured since Karla and I live in a MH and we get along very well, being in a dbl kayak wouldn't be any big deal. And it has worked out well. Now if we lived on a lake or river, we would definitely have two. And on a travel note, we have decided that next winter we are not heading to FL. Our rough plans, here till Thanksgiving, then Mesa and Sun City, then heading to Las Vegas (Karla's daughter and new husband live there) for Christmas. Then down to Needles CA for a month or two. Staying there because it is only a short ride back into Vegas to see the kids but not in Vegas. Then up to Monte Rio CA to visit my brother and sister. Onto Oregon and Washington in April. (I know it's early for being this far North, but that's what fits the plan). And finally we need to be back here in Illinois by May 15. So that being said, it looks like we can fit in some visiting w/ all you SW migrators. Maybe not Q, but a meet up for sure.

Class 09 and still full time. A little less travel than the first years but still only one home, the MH. And with no end in sight. It works for us very well.

we workamped in SLT for two summers and saw it snow (and stick) at least once in every month we were there. Even with that, it is one of our favorite spots. Hope you stayed for a few days and did some hiking, some of the best we've done. Enjoy Alaska.

Happy Mothers/Grandmothers Day to all that are reading. Hope you have a wonderful day. We are going to watch the g-kids so Mike can take Kai out to dinner. Glad we can help make that happen.

Yesterday we made it safely to our summertime home at Illinois Beach State Park. Even though it is cloudy and cold, diehard campers are showing up. Tomorrow is Mallory's #1 birthday and that means party time!

We visited many of the Blues Trail Markers a few years back and had a lotta fun. Made it to the Crossroads and visited some still open "juke joints"along the way. Met a band in Natchez MS that told us they were gonna be on the Juke Joint stage at the Chicago Blues Festival later that summer. We were also going to be in Chicago so we made it to see them again and he remembered us too. We still have the marker map we used to search out the locations and venues we did visit. Maybe someday we will be back. Have fun.

We made it safely to our MI home. And the weather isn't so bad. Cloudy and 60 at 9:30am. And with a high today of 75. Feeling pretty good about it all. (Now Tues might be a little different) I have never disliked cold and snow as much as I dislike clouds and gloom. All Is Good!