On The Road Again

It’s late morning Tuesday, May 25 (Digger Dave’s) birthday and the journey back north is underway! It is always a relief to finally hook up the jeep and close the bus door and get on our way.

We drive a couple hours to Punta Gorda and park at a rest stop where our dear friends Bob and Doris Kinsella graciously pick us up and take us to lunch at the water’s edge. Great food and even better company. It is so good to see the them again, they are the first friends we made in Florida. They are such fun and they look younger than ever.

Back on the road again we run into rain. Just drops at first which turns into a downpour. I keep telling Bob not to have the bus washed!! It happens every time. Next time we are in a drought, just have Bob wash the coach and park it outside.

A thought on the road: let’s call these road thoughts - new word Bublus…..it is much easier to say….especially when pairing it with blog. Say Blue Bus Blog 5 times in a row. I’m telling ya, bublus bog will be much easier to say. (No, I don’t drink while we are going down the road.)

Arrive at Marathon around 3:34pm - just in time to see the place get locked up and the worker bees scatter. Bob calls AT&T and gets his Iphone to connect to the internet for the first time in a few days. I am stuck without internet access (am having withdrawal - better break out the cocktails) He also calls and gets the direct tv working - although we don’t get much of anything. Hard to see these old fashioned tv’s that are so small after getting 2 new ones in FL!

Bentley seems fairly content. He will be happy to have dinner and a walk and go to bed. Think he is comfortable enough to stay alone here while we hit the Mexican restaurant in town.

Let’s hope for a quick fix in the garage tomorrow - and that they can do all the things we need, instead of having to go to Apopka to have some silly piece glued on the outside on the bus.

Day 3: Still here at Marathon. The good news is that they are able to address all of our needs. The bad news is that they can’t find a part we need for the ac in bedroom. Bob is off trying to pick up the part now.

This isn’t a bad place to be. I went out on my own yesterday while Bob stayed to crack the whip on these guys. (At the DISCOUNTED rate of $110 per hour, he needs to keep them moving!)

We tried a new place for dinner….a real seedy looking bar that we have been driving by for years. Not bad…and Bob liked the prices. Fried gator tail and chicken livers and gizzards!!! I can feel my arteries harden.

We have reservations on Beverly Beach http://www.beverlybeachcamptown.com/ for tonight and tomorrow. So, now I am getting antsy to get out of here. It shouldn’t be more than a 3 hour drive, so there shouldn’t be a problem. I can’t wait to get on the beach, but I can already hear Bob yelling about the sand in the bus!! Let alone the salt air!!

Day 4: Ah, the beach! This is a very neat campground. We can watch the surf right from the windshield. Moonrise last night was superb as was sunrise this morning. (I will admit, I just stepped out of bed for a couple minutes to watch it). Bentley enjoys running on the beach and chasing the waves….as do I. (Well maybe not running and chasing, but I do have to keep up with him.)

Nothing on the agenda for today other than food, drink, sun, surf and fun!! Yahoo! We plan to leave here tomorrow and head north for one night in South Carolina and then on to North Carolina on Sunday to visit Randy and Kathy Theis at their new home.