Day #108 – Colored Pencil Art Class

Crystal River, Florida

For a long time I have wanted to learn how to draw with colored pencils, so I was pretty excited about the day. I had signed up for a class at a local woman’s home art studio. I had discovered the class in a local flyer. I wasn’t sure what I had expected, but the day far exceeded anything I could have hoped for.

First, let me say, I never imagined that Jan’s art studio would be so beautiful, the people so welcoming, or the class so incredibly involved. There were about 20 ladies in the class and each one sat comfortably at a table with room for art supplies and drawings. Some had brought food to share as a buffet/potluck style breakfast. It was very tasty!

My first lesson of the day was that these ladies are part of a group called Manatee Haven Decorative Artists (http://www.mhdartists.com) and they in turn are a member of the National Society of Decorative Painters (http://www.decorativepainters.org). This is their 10 year anniversary. Who knew that these things even existed? I find it wonderfully comforting that people all over the nation are sharing their art and their homes with one another. I hope to find more of these classes as we travel. I am looking forward to becoming a member myself.

Being a society of painters, it was neat that they were hosting this colored pencil art class. Art is something you can’t rush. The class took the entire day, and even then we all will probably fine tune some more at home. Here is a photo of my creation. Yeah, I was expecting some coloring book looking thing, too! I expect blending with pastels, but was surprised that you could do it with pencils. But voila, you can actually create ART with colored pencils. Even more surprise was that I could create art!

The class was taught by Pat Lentine (http://www.patlentine.com). She has been published in several magazines and has won awards in decorative painting and fine art. Pat is a member of the Society of Decorative Painters and is active in several local chapters of the society. She is also a member of the Colored Pencil Society of America (http://www.cpsa.org). Again who knew? I’m looking forward to finding out more about colored pencils, because I think it is something that will travel well with the RV lifestyle.

Day #107 – More Rain

Crystal River FL

The forecast for today indicated the rain would stop in the late morning, with a slight chance of thunder storms in the evening.  Reality did not bear this out.  It rained slowly and continuously through the day.

Our room at the Holiday Inn was such a treat.  The bathroom was bigger than all the living space in our trailer.  Kelly estimated we could park and open the trailer in the main room.  There was free Internet, a big desk, and comfortable chairs.  There was a microwave and the fridge was bigger than the one in our trailer.

We decided to stay another day, for no other reason than it felt so incredibly good to be in the hotel space.  We felt some guilt about this: the room wasn’t cheap and we weren’t rich.  This guilt would not last long.

Mid-morning, we ventured out into the world to see whether we still had a trailer, and if so, to find clean underwear for another day.  The flooding looked worse today than it had yesterday.  The road-side flooding on our access road was deeper than it had been before.  The flooding around our trailer had receded, but it had clearly risen to the stabilizing jacks on the front corners of the trailer.

While planning our year-long adventure, we’d read books about full-time RVers and knew they’d all taken “breaks” from the road.   Some of them flew home every few months; others met up with friends at specific spots; others slept in hotels every now and then.  We knew we’d probably need some sort of break, but hadn’t really discussed or planned what it would be.  Today, we figured out how important it was to get away from the Little Box.  Kelly thought we needed to do this about once every month.  We agreed that, next time, we’d plan it so we’re not paying for a camp site AND a hotel room on the same day. 

It felt pretty decadent to be in a hotel room two nights in a row.  But, the weather was terrible and our campsite was not completely safe.  I wasn’t ready to be afraid like I was yesterday.  So, we enjoyed the room, with no guilt about this sojourn from the camper.

Day #106 – Fear

Crystal River FL

Fear is an interesting thing.  It forces you to stand very still, run like Hell, or fight like crazy.

We had driven over to Inverness today.  It was raining, but we really hadn’t thought much about it.  Driving back home, it became torrential.  I’ve been in some storms over the years, but I’ve never experienced rain like that.  It was coming down so hard neither Kelly nor I could see the road or the white stripe we knew was along the side of the road.  There was nowhere to get off because ditches had quickly filled with water.  The bottom of every dip in the road was filled with water.  There were class III rapids swirling around conduits and drainage ditches.  And, it didn’t stop.

I was really scared.  I knew we didn’t have many options – stop the truck in the middle of the road or keep driving.  My mind quickly clicked through known data: the tide was coming in and this area was about two feet above sea level; there was very little wind, but more thunder than usual for Florida rain; there wasn’t much “high ground” around here; our campground had flooded on less rain than this a couple weeks ago; nothing really mattered except the life and safety of Kelly and me.

Since I had actually seen a weather forecast today and had heard it was going to get worse overnight, we quickly reached consensus on driving to the nearest Holiday Inn.  By the time we got there, the rain had settled down to a dull roar and we could get into the parking lot.  In the lobby, the Weather Channel was playing, with lots of beeping to signify tornado watches for our area.  We pulled out the plastic and booked a room.

My fear subsided, but I didn’t have the foolish feeling I usually get after being scared.  I continued to click through the data, but from a safer distance: the kayaks were tied to the trailer and it would hurt to lose them; passports were in the trailer (Bleep! They’re supposed to be with us at all times…bleep!); we had the clothes on our backs and really good raincoats; our bikes were on the truck; our expensive gear was in the truck; we wouldn’t lose that much if we lost the trailer; we’d have to find a creative way to continue the trip, but we were alive and safe.

By the time we had looked over our room, the rain had decreased to drizzle.  We decided to drive to the campground and see what it looked like.  Kelly offered to go by herself, but I couldn’t let her out of my sight.  I didn’t want to be left alone, worried and helpless.  I’d much rather we were together and helpless.

The land on either side of the access road to the camp ground was under water.  We had to drive through huge puddles on our way to our trailer.  Kelly had picked a site on high ground (See blog from Day #96), so we were hopeful.  Our trailer was sitting with puddle all around it, but our water and electric hoses were on dry ground and nothing had floated away.  She bravely waded through muck to get to our door, ensuring we’d have food, clothing, and toiletries for the night.

My fear didn’t settle down until we left the campground.  Even though I knew more rain, and possibly worse, was on the way, we were safe.

It was so great to spread out on two king-size beds, lean back against a half-dozen pillows, and watch TV.  I took a lovely shower; Kelly had a bubble bath; we purred like a couple sleepy cats.

Day #105 - Kayaking with manatee

Crystal River, Florida

The very first time we drove to Florida, we stopped at the rest area at the border, sampled free orange or grapefruit juice, and gathered handfuls of brochures about cool things to do in Florida. This is one of those things. Kayaking with manatees has been very high on my “things to do before you die” list. So this day started out with me being very excited because there was a very good chance that we would see some manatee.

We left from Crystal River Kayak’s (http://kayakcrystalriver.com) nice floating dock. The cost for use of the dock is reasonable, and they have set up outside changing rooms near the dock. Mary and David run the shop and they briefed us about being respectful around the manatee. Give them lots of room. Don’t touch them. Let them sleep. Do not ride them. We were surprised by this last one; I figure “don’t touch them” covered that. They gave us a laminated map that pointed to Three Sister Springs, a natural warm-water refuge for the manatee, and we were on our way.

It was a pleasant paddle to the springs. There was little or no boat traffic. We were in a boat channel, looking at docks, boats, and people’s back yards. We didn’t have much trouble finding the springs. There is a no entry zone to the left of the springs where manatees hang out to rest. There were a few power boats outside the main entrance, and near this area. The big boats are blocked from entering the narrow channel that leads back to the springs. We navigated that with no trouble and then entered the springs. The view took my breath away -- and then made me sick.

The springs are a very small area, and we kept to the sides to stay clear of the manatee and the many, many tourists. Tourists on sit on top kayaks were jumping into the water so they could touch a manatee. There must have been 20 people with snorkel masks on. Half of them were chasing the manatee. Several kayakers were just harassing the poor creatures. We pulled ourselves into the shallow water on the sides and just tried to digest it all.

As a result of the record breaking cold weather here in Florida, about 300 manatees have died. Their immune systems just can’t cope. Many of those that have survived are struggling. Mass numbers have come into the area, and have eaten most of the food in the warm springs. At night they go out into the bay to search for food, during the day, they try to sleep in the warm springs. Between the bay and the springs are tourists in motor boats. Motor boat propellers are not kind to the large, slow moving animals. So manatees basically have a daily struggle.

Can you imagine being sick and tired and trying to sleep and have someone insist on poking you every 20 minutes or so, because they just want the experience of touching you? Once that jerk swims away, another takes their place. People “love” the manatee to death. Some teenagers were trying to see how many they could touch. A dad and his son in scuba gear were chasing another one. It was heartbreaking. There were around one hundred manatee in this little area smaller than a football field, and there were at least 50 people on boats or in scuba gear. I was complaining LOUDLY to Suzie “What the hell is wrong with these people?” Suzie told me to keep my voice down. “Why?” I demanded. “You are bothering the manatee. They told us to be quite around them.” She was right!

I was wondering why there wasn’t someone here patrolling this area. Making sure the animals were not harassed. About that time, a fish and game volunteer showed up. He put an end to the craziness, and must have called for some backup, because another volunteer showed up about 15 minutes later. Turns out they really need volunteers. They only ask you to commit to four hours a month. I seriously considered moving here to help protect these beautiful creatures.

Once things settled down, we were able to float around and observe. Several times manatee swam near us or under us. There were many that were still sleeping in the deeper water or on the edges of one of the three springs. It was a beautiful and moving experience. One of the volunteers told us that the nearby refuge is hoping to purchase the land and keep everybody out during the winter months when the manatee need to be left alone. It sounded like a good idea to us. We were both grateful and disheartened to see the manatee today.

If at some point you would like to see some manatee, or kayak near them, there is a movie that you can watch, so you know how to behave. It’s a cool flick, with great manatee photos; it is called Manatee Manners. I’ve included a link to it and several good causes below:

Mantaee Manners
http://www.fws.gov/crystalriver/media/video/ManateeEnglish_768K.wmv

Save the Manatee Club
http://www.savethemanatee.org

Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge
http://www.fws.gov/crystalriver

Day #103 – Plant City Strawberry Festival

Plant City, Florida

I’d been looking forward to this festival for weeks!  Kelly spotted the brochure in a restaurant.  Who could resist that strawberry, all dressed up in a tuxedo and top hat?  This festival was celebrating its 75th year and I intended to be there!  I enticed Kelly with the line-up of famous country singers and entertainers.  I invited her to watch the lambs jump, the pigs race, and the meat sizzle.  I showed her the map, with an entire tent sponsored by Cool Whip.  As a final tease, I whispered, “Strawberry shortcake with local berries,” in her ear.  She picked today to endure the pain – Mel Tillis and Bill Engvall.

The day was warm – nearly 70 – with sun and a slight breeze.  Parking was easy – they put all the pickups in their own area.  You could tell by the organization that they’d been doing this awhile.  The grounds were huge!  There were no port-a-janes – they had real cinderblock rest rooms, with attendants to keep everything clean.  Hand washing stations were set up at convenient locations.  The midway held dozens of rides, including four Ferris wheels.  And, the smell of yummy food was everywhere!

We looked at quilt displays, sampled cheese, ate smoked turkey and BBQ pork, ate chocolate-covered strawberries, ate strawberry shortcake, ogled the John Deere tractors, viewed a display showing how strawberries were grown in the past, and saw how they are grown today.  Grown men tried to sell us miracle cooking pots and carpet that practically cleaned itself.  We resisted the pots, but bought a rug.

We missed the lamb jumping, but were in plenty of time for the pig races.  I got myself a good seat in the upper bleachers while Kelly scouted for popcorn.  Poor girl had to sit elsewhere because the stands filled up so quickly.  

The warm-up event was a riot.  There were huge plastic pigs, filled with air, of several different sizes.  Anyone over the age of 5 was welcome to straddle a pig and bounce/ride/race it down the track.  There were several heats, divided by age.  It looked like a lot of fun, but I didn’t want to lose my seat, so I just watched and cheered.  

For the main event, there were three pig races.  The first set of racers was young domestic pigs - five of them, about three months old.  They were very eager and ran around the track pretty quickly.  The second race was for older domestic pigs, about six months old.  They ran so fast I couldn’t get any pictures of them.  The last race was comprised of full-grown Asian Pot-Bellied pigs.  They were very slow.  My favorite moseyed around the track and stopped just short of the finish line when he found something good to snuffle.  He didn’t cross the line until another pig bumped his butt.

We thought about going to see Mel Tillis perform in the late afternoon – there were lots of free seats.  But the day had gotten pretty hot and we had gotten pretty tired, so we headed home.  Kelly was so wiped she was in bed by 7:30, skipping supper.

This festival is a good example of why I’m camping my way around North America.  The festival was a wonderful way to celebrate something very important to many Americans – strawberries.  While the first crop was lost to frost, this second crop held promise and hope for a struggling community.  Our attendance not only supported the economy, but gave us a unique opportunity to mingle with the farmers who grow our food.  The FFA (Future Farmers of America) kids selling water, displaying their canned preserves and beautiful quilts, and demonstrating the new growing methods, are our future.  How could we not go to the festival?

Day #102 - Withlacoochee State Trail

Inverness and Ocala, FL

Today we decided that it was really time to DO something. We’ve been getting upset with all the planning, and needed much more Doing. So we drove to Inverness, FL. to do some bicycling on the Withlacoochee State Trail (http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/guide/regions/crossflorida/trails/with_state.htm ). There is an old caboose at the trailhead in Inverness, which has been converted to an info center for the trail. There is also a bike shop, so if you need repairs, or rental, it is all available. At 46 miles in length, the Withlacoochee State Trail is presently the longest paved rail trail in Florida. Rest assured we did not do the entire 46 miles. But we did a small chunk of it! We had a great time.

We headed south toward Ft. Cooper State Park (http://www.floridastateparks.org/fortcooper/default.cfm) this was one of the prettier sections of the trail. A sign outside the park indicated that this is one of the places where the Seminole Indians said “Hell no, we won’t go”, or something to that effect, when they were so rudely asked to relocate to Oklahoma during the “Second Seminole War” ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Seminole_War). Yeah Indians!

After 4 miles, we turned around and had a picnic lunch at the nearby Wallace Brooks Park, where we enjoyed watching the lake. If you ask anybody about this trail, they will tell you it is flat and easy to peddle. We haven’t biked since we left the Disney Campground. It kicked our butts and felt good at the same time. I did 10 miles today, and Suzie did 8.

After biking, we drove to Ocala so we could watch Alice in Wonderland in 3D. It was a bit of a drive, but well worth it. The movie was awesome!