RV Folly Adventure Freedom Ride

(Photo album links are at top of page to right or click on the Places Visited button)
(Journal entires are from the January 1, 2009 entry below up to the most recent entry)
THIS PAGE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED. CLICK ON THE "HOME BUTTON" ABOVE
AND THEN THE "FREEDOM RIDE 20XX" BUTTON AT THE TOP OF THE
HOME PAGE FOR CURRENT ADVENTURES

January 31, 2009

Got up early yesterday to a 73 degree temp and rain showers. My bro and I headed out for the east coast of Florida
to see our Mom and her hubby, Sol. It's about a three hour trip each way. We had a great visit and it was fun to talk
about generations of family gone by.

It's interesting to note that after a generation or two of time passes, the folks of yesterday are forgotten. Reminded
us of why history repeats itself and the same life's lessons are experienced and learned over and over again ......
some good, some bad. Very few people or events are remembered unless they had a huge impact at the time. But, I
like to think that everyone and every event had an impact on how our universe has unfolded. The silent majority so
to speak.

Oh, to meet with those that blazed the trails for us .... it would be a wonderful adventure to be able to speak with and
listen to their stories of how their life was spent and what was important to them. As with our family, can you imagine
the good times, bad times, and humorous experiences they could share? Can you imagine speaking with or hearing
the religious and tribal leaders over the ages? And, how about hearing about science, reading books that were
written and lost or forgotten, or "Super Bowls" that may have been held a thousand or more years ago. Kinda blows
the mind considering all the possibilities!

Today, we woke up to 36 degrees under brilliant blue skies and a north wind cutting through our clothing when we
ventured out. The warmth of the sun felt wonderful and gave us a moment of thought of what the beautiful day that is
going to unfold before us may bring ..... a brand new day that has never been used before. And tomorrow, a new
month begins. Do you suppose any one will care or be interested in a couple of hundred years or more? Hmmmmm.

January 30, 2009

Looked in our "backyard" today and back tracked a bit after getting parts and supplies at Radio Shack for Folly's
am/fm/cassette/cd install and metal detector tools at Lowes Building Supply. Went back to Fisherman's Village Pier.
Stopped at Harpoon Harry's, the Village Fish Market, and Celtic Ray. The food and service was super everywhere.
Sweet! We had a great time trying a few appetizer plates, enjoying the birds fluttering around everywhere, and a
beautiful sunset. Life is good!!!!

January 29, 2009

Chilled out yesterday. Did nada, nothing, zilch. Sweet. Every once in a while, resting seems to charge the soul and
the mind.

RVing full time is a mystery sometimes. I used to think, when "old" people talked about time moving on so fast was
mainly due to age. However, still in my 50s, I'm experiencing time as a blink of the eye sometimes. Hmmmmm. I
believe now that when a schedule is not a part of ones life anymore, time becomes more obscure and less meaningful
.... allowing days and nights to come and go without much notice or concern. Then, all of a sudden, one day you
stop to think of where you are, what may need to be done, and what you have done over your lifetime. What was
important, what had meaning, what will the future bring? Guess it's all part of the circle of life.

I wonder what today will bring? Not thinking about today in terms of fear lurking all over our planet that the media
tends to fill our heads with, but with love and wonder about all the beauty and peace that can be found in your own
back yard. Yes, Rving full time is a mystery sometimes, but a mystery we look forward to and cherish every day.

January 28, 2009

We had to make a supply run yesterday for groceries, etc., so we headed out for the new Punta Gorda Super
Walmart. Along the way we decided to park at one the many, can you believe, "free" Municipal Park parking lots
along Charlotte Harbor just west of the Collier Bridge aka Tamiami Trail aka US 41. There is a "free" public fishing
pier and walking trail along the harbor all the way to the Fisherman's Village Pier. The mostly restored homes on the
south side of the road are circa 1900 with a few new "low rise" condos mixed in.

The Village Pier is a lot of fun to explore as it offers an aviation museum, stores of every variety and restaurants
serving whatever one may want to eat or drink on the first level and residential housing on the second. Right next
door is the Village Marina. We scouted around for a while and then made the return walk to the parking lot where we
left our vehicle. I suppose we spent at least 2 hours on this explore and plan to return soon.

I never did get anything done on Folly....lol...oh well! Maybe today?

January 25-27, 2009

Jim and I have spent some time with the metal detector coming away with some interesting junk so far....lol. No
treasure yet.

We all went to dinner at the Thai Cafe on Tamiami Trail in Port Charlotte. I've never had Thai food before and found
the dish I had to be delicious. The service was excellent and friendly as well. Guess I'll try more Thai food down the
trail.

We took Jim and Adela to the Fort Meyers Airport for their return home. The airport has three concourses, each with
a baggage check. This is much better than Raleigh where everyone is funneled into one checkpoint where the lines
get very long sometimes. It was a real treat to see them and we hope they had a good trip home.

Did some caulking on Folly, still trying to find a leak that I've been chasing for months now and ran the genset as
recommended to keep the unit functioning well. The worst thing you can do is to let a RV and the genset sit for long
periods of time without running the engines, getting the tranny above 150 degrees to remove moisture, exercising
the brakes and 12/120 volt systems, etc. It's such an easy thing to do and saves a ton of headaches that will pop up
if you don't.

Finishing the install of our new am/fm/cassette/cd player and new speakers is next on the agenda. Other
maintenance items on Folly will be addressed soon as well. All under beautiful warm Florida winter skies and balmy
breezes ..... Sweet!

January 21-24, 2009

We arrived at Punta Gorda Wednesday afternoon via Alligator Alley and I-75. It never ceases to amaze me the
growth between Naples and Fort Meyers since the early 70's. From sleepy retirement communities to a bustling
megalopolis. MAgellan showed golf course after golf course for the entire distance. I wonder where all the water is
going to come from to keep these courses up and where all the fertilizer that is used to keep them green is going to
end up. And, who is going to pay for all the new water and sewer facilities and the fertilizer damage clean up down
the road......hmmmm....taxpayers and Fed bailouts (more taxpayer money) I guess...lol....seems that is how things
are done in this day and age. Corporate giants make the money and the taxpayers clean up the mess they leave
behind.

Wednesday and Thursday nights were cold, by Florida standards....27 & 31 degrees....brrrrrrr. Went to the Ft.
Meyers Airport Friday afternoon to pick up my brothers kids, Jim and Adela. From there, it was a long visit and fish &
chips dinner at the Celtic Ray in Punta Gorda, YUM, a view of the sunset over the Gulf, and on to celebrate the
Anniversary of Robbie Burns at a local church. We enjoyed Scottish folk songs, bagpipes, singing and dancing, and
some enjoyed a sampling of Haggis...?... Then, it was back to Folly for a good nights rest. We have a laundry list of
chores to attend to over the next few weeks. Man-o-man, our freedom ride full-timing is a lot of work sometimes....lol.
We wouldn't want it any other way though!!!

January 16-20, 2009

Well, mom is back in the hands of my stepfather. His trip with his son to visit his family in Maryland went very well but
he reports traveling so far by car is getting to be hard on him.......he's 95 years old, bless his heart. Mom is doing
very well as well. She's a lot of fun to spend time with in general and it's especially fun when she shares her life and
memories of her family going back many generations. There is a lot of interesting history on both sides of my family.

So, presently, we are back in Folly at Sandra's mom's house in Pompano Beach. RVs are still allowed to park on
private property in the City of Pompano......a right that is growing rarer by the month everywhere we travel. So many
cities now allow no RVs at all and some maybe 12 to 24 hours stays on private property. This is sad as many private
RV parks start at about $25/night and go up from there. And, in many parks you're lined up like dominoes to the
point one doesn't even need a TV as you can just watch and listen to the TV next door out your side window.
Yuck...not my idea of RV living....but it seems many are OK with it.

We're helping Sandra's mom with general cleaning and fixing, and, moving her stuff out of the family room so the
scheduled remodeling of same can commence. It's been a lot of work and the finish line is within reach. We think
everything will be done by Wednesday or Thursday.

So, soon, we will head out to Punta Gorda, Fl. A beautiful and still quite unspoiled area located on the west coast of
South Florida. Probably one of a very few places on the southwest coast that hasn't been completely developed and
overrun with people and cars everywhere. We hope to have a bit of a rest, time to recharge our batteries, and time
to visit with family and friends there.

January 11-15, 2009

I decided to attempt a simple analysis on where we were as far as our freedom adventure ride is concerned. So, I got
out the trusty dictionary to look up the definitions and this is what was found.

Freedom is defined as follows:

a) freedom from control of some other person or arbitrary power,
b) freedom of speech,
c) freedom from want,
d) freedom of will.

Adventure is defined as follows:

a) a happening,
b) encountering danger or excitement,
c) an unusual stirring experience,
d) take a risk.

If you put the definitions together, many interesting combinations and possibilities emerge. Some describe us, some
don't. And, it's apparent freedom and adventure will have different meanings for different people depending on the
degree of freedom they may want to attain and the amount of adventure they are willing to explore. So much for a
"simple" analysis.

To truly be free, I suppose sailing in international waters around the globe would be the best choice. No government
control and it's just you, the ever changing sky, the ever changing water, and whatever awaits you beyond ones line
of sight. Interstate travel, campground, and Wallymart RVing is nowhere near this kind of freedom, but RV
boondocking in seclusion may be a close second.

Since we have responsibilities to look after our elderly parents and enjoy seeing family and friends, sailing the globe
will not work for us. But, boondocking all over the Southeast has worked out pretty well. Our freedom adventure ride
has evolved into a combination of back road travel, and mostly boondocking at State Park, National Forest, and
National Park campgrounds. All in all, things have worked out great and we look forward to all the new adventures
that await us along the ever wandering freedom trail.

January 6-11, 2009

After searching the usual web sites for airline tickets, the best price from Raleigh to Orlando was about $98 with a
stop in Atlanta. Then, I saw an add on TV for Southwest Air announcing their January 2009 travel specials. Low and
behold, their price for the same trip was about $75....NON STOP! Choosing Southwest, our daughter dropped us off
at the Raleigh airport at 11:45 am and we got in our Hertz rental car at Orlando at 3:55 pm....SWEET! Lesson
learned: one must search ALL the airlines as the typical search engines do not include some of them.....Southwest
being one such airline company. Bottom line, we saved about $50 and enjoyed a direct flight.

Folly was waiting for us in Vero Beach about 1 1/2 hours down the road from Orlando. We spent about 3 days with
Sandra's brother and his family and then, with a bit of preparation, headed for Pompano Beach Saturday morning.
The ride was pleasant, with lots of traffic of course. We arrived at my mom's home in Lighthouse Point and enjoyed a
wonderful reunion with her and my stepfather. Lots of visiting and a meal at the Flame Restaurant in Deerfield
Beach. After more visiting and a couple of football games, we retired for the evening.

We will be in this area for a week or two. I will be looking after mom while her husband visits his family in Maryland
and Sandra will be helping her mom with household chores that are too much for her mom to handle alone. We
always enjoy our time spent with our parents and feel very lucky to be able to do so. Thanks RV Folly Adventure
Ride!

January 3-5, 2009

We have had a great visit here in Raleigh with our daughter enjoying her graduation, celebrating Christmas, and
embracing the New Year with all its hopes and possibilities. The only drawback has been the cold and rainy winter
weather pattern that sometimes comes this time of year in North Carolina. So, we are preparing to saddle up and
move out.

We will be returning to Folly and good 'ol sunny Florida with its warm days and balmy nights to visit with family and
friends, and, we have put together plans to experience an adventure or two. Also, with our new Bounty Hunter Metal
Detector in hand, we look forward to doing some treasure hunting along the trail that we anticipate will be a lot of fun.
Maybe Blackbeard left us something to find????? Aaaaarrrrrrrrg!

January 1-2, 2009

Happy New Year everyone. 2008's been a great year for us. Traveling, visiting, traveling, and more visiting.
Traveling to places we have seen or never seen and visiting with people we have met or never met before. The more
we explore, the more we never want to go back to the hustle and bustle we had been accustomed to for many years
past. How in the world do we all get ourselves caught up in the squirrel cage routine in the first place?

I guess it's because once one is born, a social calendar is "expected" to be followed. With a few variations allowed,
you get a couple of happy go lucky baby years, then you are expected to attend school as far as your abilities or
money will let you, get a job, find a mate and have a family, and then you die. Does anyone remember, does anyone
care after you're gone?

Well, I visited the grave sites and did some research on my family history. I found it fascinating. Mostly, because I
would sit back and think about what my ancestors probably did to stay alive, and the fun times and hardships they
may have enjoyed or had to overcome in their day. But, for the most part, I feel most people in the present day don't
give a rats behind about family history, especially for those that came before their grandparents. How can they, there
isn't time. The perceived need to have stuff we don't need and to have and hoard money controls everything we do
.... with the fear of being without helping to keep those scared ol' wheels spinning.

We have found more peace living simply than we ever had running our legs off trying to keep up with the spinning
wheel to nowhere. All the spinning wheel is, is a modern form of slavery if you take the time slow down enough to
look around you and think about it. Working ones butt off from morn' 'till night in order to buy stuff keeps the
corporate people wealthy, your hard earned money is given to corporate people to keep them wealthy when the
economy goes south, and the corporate people will drop you like an old shoe to assure their wealth in bad times, and
on and on and on. Just like the good ol' days with the robber barrens, the slave owners before that, and the feudal
lords before that, and on and on again. Nothing has changed. No wonder we humans keep fighting wars that kill
countless innocent people and never produce a winner, and, we never learn from past mistakes. Even with all the
family history and written history available everywhere, no one seems to remember or learn so we make the same
mistakes over and over.

With the beginning of this brand new, never been used before, new year, take a moment and think about where you
are in your life instead of making a few resolutions you will probably never follow anyway. Take a moment to think
about what you really want to do with the rest of your life and make it happen. Take a chance, roll the dice, cast your
sails to the wind like your ancestors did. Take a ride on the back of freedom for a change. Take charge of your
destiny. Take charge of your spirituality. Take charge of the love you have to give others. Perpetuate the positive
and ignore the negative. Live your life the way you want to, not the way the slave owner corporate types want you to.
And, most of all, find peace as it's there if you take the time to look.