RV Folly Adventure Freedom Ride

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(Blog entires are from the February 1, 2009 entry below up to the most recent entry)

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February 28, 2009

Ha! We couldn't believe it! We got ready to go to the game on the 26th between Boston and Pittsburgh. Packed the
sun block, camera with battery fully charged, sunglasses, and a snack and water for the after the game ride back to
Punta Gorda. Sandra reminded me to bring the tickets and when I retrieved them, I saw the game listed on the tickets
was between Boston and Cincinnati. HuH? With a closer look, we discovered the ticket office had mailed us the
wrong tickets. Hmmmmmm. And, of course, there are no refunds or exchanges. So, with no worries, we will go to the
game today. Not looking closely at the tickets when they came in the mail could have been a disaster as the tickets
might have been for a game already played. What a disappointment that would have been! All's well that ends well.

February 26, 2009

We're headin' to the City of Palms Stadium in Fort Myers today to see a ball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates
and Boston Red Sox. Sandra is an avid Boston fan and has been so since she was a wee child. So, the level of
excitement has risen to the sky! I sure hope Boston wins today.... as that will really make her day!

February 18-25, 2009

We finally caught up with Johnny the long haul driver from New York. He's an avid Mets and Jets fan. We all met for lunch at Gatorz Bar
and Grill in Port Charlotte at Johnny's request. He's the little one in the Jets shirt. We have been by Gatorz many times, always crowded
and always many nice bikes parked outside....most of them Harleys....but never stopped in. It was interesting to experience the mix of
people there, from those in their 20's to those in their, well, let's just say over 60.

After chatting and eating lunch, Johnny invited us to see his new Kenworth that he leased a couple months ago with 22 miles on the
odometer......and now showed just over 34,000.....WOW! This man let's no grass grow under his feet! And even with the present
ecomony, he's been a rollin'. Could be his own adventure freedom ride? We will see Johnny and Amy, Amy is my niece and Johnny's
wife, most likely sometime in April or May.

February 11-17, 2009

I installed all the gutters on Folly's windows this AM except the windshield which I will do tomorrow. Then, we headed for Gasparilla
State Park located just south of Boca Grande, Fl. on Gasparilla Island. From Punta Gorda we headed north on Hwy 41 though Port
Charlotte, then west on 776 and 771 through Placida and finally over the bridge, toll was $4, to Gasparilla Island.

Once we reached Boca Grande, we headed to the Boca Grande Lighthouse. The beach there was gorgeous and many folks were
digging in a mound of shells with the skeleton of a pier from days gone by nearby. Just beyond, we found ourselves in the middle of
flock of seabirds.....Hitchcock's Birds came to mind.

We explored the lighthouse with its museum inside and the keepers quarters. Lots of interesting stuff! On the way home, we stopped in
Boca Grande for a look see. The town is delightful with it's downtown shopping and fun, restaurants, and historic buildings. We came
across some moored sail boats about 3 blocks away with a pelican ready to pose nearby. We had a great time!

A couple of days ago, we met Mike and Betty, Wisconsin travelers, at Best Western's Benneditos Restaurant located on Charlotte
Harbor near the Hwy 41S bridge for great water views, good food, friendly service by Rachael, and a whole lot of "catching up"
conversation.

Our niece Amy, North Carolina traveler, stopped by. We spent some time in our outdoor living room and then had some lunch. Amy was
in Port Charlotte with her hubby Johnny who was under the weather and not able to come. I spoke with Johnny this morning and we
plan to hook up tomorrow to check out his new truck, etc. He's a long-haul driver.

February 10, 2009

I'm doing maintenance on Folly ..... as I feel able. I have to do things a bit at a time. Got the oil and the filter changed and at the same
time inspected the belts and hoses I could get to while under Folly. It seems, with the engine running at 160 degrees most of the time,
all the rubber is still in good shape. Sweet. But, the new rubber seal I installed on the steering pot joint last August is already shot. Heat
is not an issue in this application, the quality of the rubber is. I wish I knew where the rubber tie-rod end like part was made. I hope not
in the USA. Maybe China? Front end and drive train grease job and fixing the rubber seal is on tap for today.

Well, I just finished the grease job. I noticed I had a little play at the center U-joint by the center support bearing, so I'll have to keep an
eye on that. I seem to remember the same issue when I greased everything last year, but this time I wrote it down on Folly's
maintenance record so I will know for sure next time ... lol. Could be it's just how things are, given there is a yoke in the area also. Did a
steering pot joint seal fix using a heavy zip lock bag, some spray adhesive and some aluminum tape. We shall see how that works out.
Tomorrow I want to add a "stick-on" water diverter around each of Folly's windows to channel water away that runs off the roof.

February 7-9, 2009

Taxes...UG! I spent several hours on the phone with my daughter helping her do her taxes. They should be easy due to getting 2 W2s.
But, trying to figure out the numbers for what needed to be added to her ordinary income and the numbers for her education credit using
her school's 1098T was a complete nightmare. We started the operation Friday night and then, realizing I had to study up on all the IRS
publications for the rules concerning same, we continued and finished the task on Saturday. Anyway, her Fed return is in the
mail....thank goodness!

Sunday, we traveled to Fort Myers to attend the Art Festival being held there. Under beautiful South Florida skies and 75 degree temps,
we spent 2 hours checking out all of the incredible art being displayed and sold there (see a few of the pix above and/or click on the link
above for more pix). The fair was held at the Centennial Park located along the shores of the Caloosahatchee River not too far from the
Gulf.

Later, we took Business 41 and US 41 back to Punta Gorda. It reminded us a bit of Route 66 in Arizona as you could get the feel of how
things were back in the 70's and before. Lots of old motels, commercial buildings, retro restaurants and mom and pop ice cream
stores. All in all, we had a truly delightful day.

February 6, 2009

HooRay! Enjoying the positive and ignoring the negative works again. Had a great day yesterday. Last night was chilly again but,
wrapped up in our warm bed, the night's chill was a piece of cake....we slept like babies. Our hosts had more guests pass through,
leaving their 0 degree temps with a breeze behind. They are off for several days to visit more friends and will then return for a while. Our
hosts said two more visitors are due today and will spend a week or so with the. No worries for them or us though, as we are parked
way back in their back yard on our own private piece of heaven. 70's today. Life is good!

February 5, 2009

Well, after letting myself get sucked into what sells TV advertising again, my thoughts concerning what's going on in the USA and the
world will return to living free and enjoying adventures found along the trail in good ol' Folly. It's just not worth the effort or the stress as
there is nothing I can do about any of it anyway. Also, if I don't watch the TV news, the world magically transforms into a wondrous place
once again.

Yesterday was chilly, windy and beautiful. Clear skies and the warmth of our camper made for a comfortable and uplifting day. We don't
have a furnace in Folly, but have done well down to about 23 degrees so far by using several blankets and hooded sweat shirts while
sleeping. Once the sun comes up, we open the curtains to let the sunbeams warm things up. Last night was about 28 and the camper
was 35 inside upon rising at 8:00 am. Of course, we slept in a bit enjoying the warmth of each other and the warm cocoon we were
wrapped in. The temp outdoors now, 12:30 pm, is 49 but inside Folly is 71. Sweet.

We will take a hike today to enjoy the fresh air, get our juices flowing, and enjoy whatever crosses our paths. Then, back to Folly for
some tunes, maybe some reading, and a hot meal. Now that is what the world can be, if one puts their mind to it....even a mind as old
as mine....lol.

February 4, 2009

Florida news flash!!! .... there is talk of raising the fee for toll roads to "raise millions of needed dollars". People are losing jobs and their
homes, bankruptcy is skyrocketing, and some credit card companies are charging 30% interest (thanks a heap for taxpayer bailout
money...lol). Man, the government and corporations just don't seem to get it....YET..... the bottom of the barrel has been reached. What's
it going to take to get their minds wrapped around the reality of the situation? Wil the "club" ever figure it out?

We had a great day yesterday. Enjoying the sun and finishing the install of our new sound system. We can play our CDs and, especially
sweet, our Cassette tapes..... probably have over a hundred of each on board. We purchased the unit from Quality Car Audio. The first
one shipped was defective. And since we were Rving full-time we didn't even come close to their time requirements listed in their
posted rules about returns or exchanges. But, when I called them, they took back the defective unit and sent us another without
question. They showered us with sincere apologies and prompt service. Funny thing is though, we started the procedure last May and
just got the unit installed yesterday. Time moves differently for those full-timing, eh? But, all's well that ends well.

Today, we run some errands and will enjoy the great outdoors.

February 4th message from the Red Road, "All things are the works of the Great Spirit. We should know that He is within all things: the
trees, the grasses, the rivers, the mountains, and all the four legged animals, and the winged peoples; and even more important, we
should understand that He is also above thise things and peoples." -- Black Elk, Oglala Sioux, 1863-1950.

February 3, 2009

Sun's up and a beautiful day is unfolding. Time to pay some bills, work on Folly's sound system, and contemplate the meaning of life.

TV recently has been interesting. It seems the media is perpetuating the economic downfall with it's continuous pounding of how bad
things are. Sure enough, the result is a scared to death public and a spiraling downturn in consumer spending. And the government's
predictable remedy is to throw money at the problem(s) and bailing out the cause much like the medical profession treating symptoms
rather than the cause. And then the "cause" responds to the bailout(s) with job cuts by the thousands, raising prices, and cutting service
to ensure their historic bottom line ... again perpetuating an economic crash. The losers in all this? The little people ..... us, as "We are
not part of the club", as George Carlin would sometimes say.

We know now, given the way we are living our lives, we can't be hurt too much by what is happening. We have already adjusted to living
free on a dime so to speak. Hmmmm! I see a new show for HGTV on the horizon ..... lol. In any event, until the cause, which I think is
fear and greed, is addressed things will continue to unfold that will not be much fun for a lot of people. But, if we lend each other a hand
we can be happy and live our lives in peace. It's not a matter of if this will come to pass, it's a matter of when....one way or another.

February 3 message from the Red Road, "We will not let ourselves be destroyed in our turn without a struggle, give up our homes, our
country bequeathed to us by the Great Spirit, the graves of our dead and everything that is dear and sacred to us? I know you will cry
with me, "Never! Never!"" ---Tecumseh, Shawnee, 1768-1813

February 2, 2009

What a great Super Bowl game, enjoyed along with some delicious food and fun lovin' family! It's a rainy day so far here in Punta Gorda,
Florida so we'll just kick back for the duration.

Quote from 365 Days of Walking the Red Road, February 2, "Lose your temper and you lose a friend; lie and you lose yourself." Hopi
Adage.

February 1, 2009

Wow. Happy February, and, Super Bowl Sunday as well. We set out yesterday in search of munchies for the game today. Being a
cheese-head from Wisconsin, a sign caught my eye .... Kallis German Butcher Shop located on the 2000 block of Tamiami Trail (US
41) in Port Charlotte, Florida. The hunger tweaking smells of spices, sauces, and German brats and wieners met us just inside the
door. We picked up a half-dozen of each and then it was on to Winn-Dixie for some chicken wings and veggies for a munchie platter.
We're good to go now!

I had picked up wire connectors and antenna extension for my am/fm/cassette/cd install and took a couple of pix of what lay ahead in
that regard.

We met some folks, Arnold and Ellie, at the Outer Banks of North Carolina last Spring during our 5 week stay there. They had attended
a Pow-Wow nearby that was held at the Frisco Native American Museum & Natural History Center located just down the road from the
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse on Hatteras Island. Anyway, we became acquainted and enjoyed each others company for a couple of days
and have kept up via snail mail and email since. Recently, they sent us an invitation to the upcoming 10th Annual Inter-Tribal Powwow,
"Journey Home", that will be held at the museum April 25 & 26, 2009. If you are in the area, stop in and enjoy the event, entertainment,
and fun. The whole affair and the museum are quite amazing. FYI, the museum's web address is www.nativeamericanmuseum.org.

They sent us a book last summer entitled, "365 Days of Walking the Red Road" by Terri Jean. Quoted directly from the book on the
page entitled February 1, "The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights Upon it." Chief Joseph
(Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt), Nez Perce, 1840-1909. "Chief Joseph was a major celebrity during his lifetime. Born in what is now
northeastern Oregon in 1840, he was the son of one of the first Nez Perce Christian converts, also named Joseph, who raised Chief
Joseph to support peace with whites --- until the government betrayed the elder Joseph and the Nez Perce. Chief Joseph succeeded
his father's position in 1871. After several skirmishes and difficulties with the U.S. Government, he became an eloquent speaker
against injustice and inequality, and spoke in support of the freedom of the Native people."