Tag Archives | trawler

February 2018 Christmas – Orlando – Titusville – Charleston/Mount Pleasant, SC, Brunswick, GA, Christmas – Lakeland – Arcadia – Seffner – Brooksville – Ocala – Brooksville – Ocala

     One of the advantages of living in Central Florida, besides being away from the coast and hurricane threats, is the proximity to so many places for day trips. We scooted down to Orlando to two furniture stores searching for bedroom furniture. When we left terra firma, 2008, we gave everything away except for 4 pieces of furniture so we’re starting from scratch. Thought we needed to begin the hunt before we found ourselves on the floor of our new home in sleeping bags. We know exactly what we want and that style isn’t easy to find so we need a head start. At ScanDesign, we found 6 pieces that we love and it’ll take 3 months from ordering to delivery so we can choreograph the timing.


     I have an affinity for bridges and below is my many times photographed Ravenel Bridge, Charleston, SC, and on the right, the Bartram Island Bridge, Jacksonville, FL.



 


     We made a quick trip to Charleston to take care of some business then back to Christmas, FL, and my pool du jour. We manipulated that travel so that we’d be in Brunswick, GA, in the evening to take advantage of wonderful filet mignons and cocktails at the Millhouse Steakhouse.


      Then, we moved on to Lakeland for a RV Rally, which was an eye-opener. During our stay there we drove to Arcadia to visit 94 year old Uncle Harold and Aunt Maybelle.  He is absolutely amazing and hasn’t forgotten one single thing in his 94 years. Sharp as a tack, he is!

Uncle Harold and Aunt Maybelle

     From Lakeland we moved on to Lazy Days in Seffner/Tampa for another RV gathering of our “brand” of coach. While there, we met some interesting and fun folks with whom we’ll stay in contact and expect to see again next month.

    Then on to Brooksville for a Blue Grass Festival—our very first but one of those things you’ve just gotta do at least once! There was a non-blue grass group, The Atlantic City Boys, very much like Frankie Valle and the Four Seasons or The Jersey Boys, and I LOVED them! They were incredible and I grinned all the way through their performance. Besides being musically excellent, they are superb showmen with their choreographed movements.



     While in Brooksville, Bill’s antennae picked up info of a festival/display of old train engines, tractors, and trucks so he took off to Fort Meade for the day and enjoyed that. Without any meal preparation needed for the day, I was able to spread out my watercolor materials in our tiny space and paint away.

     Another drive up to Ocala to check on our little rectangle of dirt being graded and prepared for the building of our home, enabling us to meet Donna and George for breakfast and Bruce and Patty for lunch. There’s NO way to eat  ‘healthy’ in restaurants! We’re soon going to be too big to fit through our narrow little doors.  But visiting with our friends—and getting fat—is so much fun!

 


   

     


     From the Blue Grass Fest, we drove farther into Brooksville to have some repair/maintenance done on our coach. Fortunately, the Suncoast Trail is just a stone’s throw away from our site so the 2 days we were there we took ultimate advantage of it both walking and cycling. We all recall the old, tired, and hackneyed ‘saying’ that exercise doesn’t keep but not only that, saddle time doesn’t save, either. Both of these came home to roost. We have made great use of the Suncoast Trail both on foot and bicycle. We are either older than we thought or more out of shape than ever we would’ve believed. We aren’t old so it definitely must be the latter.

     And so the month ends with us returning to Ocala and back in the same campsite we occupied for 2 months in the winter. 

Bill and Laura
Aboard Monaco Dynasty Coach
Ocala, FL


  

February 2018 Christmas – Orlando – Titusville – Charleston/Mount Pleasant, SC, Brunswick, GA, Christmas – Lakeland – Arcadia – Seffner – Brooksville – Ocala – Brooksville – Ocala

     One of the advantages of living in Central Florida, besides being away from the coast and hurricane threats, is the proximity to so many places for day trips. We scooted down to Orlando to two furniture stores searching for bedroom furniture. When we left terra firma, 2008, we gave everything away except for 4 pieces of furniture so we’re starting from scratch. Thought we needed to begin the hunt before we found ourselves on the floor of our new home in sleeping bags. We know exactly what we want and that style isn’t easy to find so we need a head start. At ScanDesign, we found 6 pieces that we love and it’ll take 3 months from ordering to delivery so we can choreograph the timing.


     I have an affinity for bridges and below is my many times photographed Ravenel Bridge, Charleston, SC, and on the right, the Bartram Island Bridge, Jacksonville, FL.



 


     We made a quick trip to Charleston to take care of some business then back to Christmas, FL, and my pool du jour. We manipulated that travel so that we’d be in Brunswick, GA, in the evening to take advantage of wonderful filet mignons and cocktails at the Millhouse Steakhouse.


      Then, we moved on to Lakeland for a RV Rally, which was an eye-opener. During our stay there we drove to Arcadia to visit 94 year old Uncle Harold and Aunt Maybelle.  He is absolutely amazing and hasn’t forgotten one single thing in his 94 years. Sharp as a tack, he is!

Uncle Harold and Aunt Maybelle

     From Lakeland we moved on to Lazy Days in Seffner/Tampa for another RV gathering of our “brand” of coach. While there, we met some interesting and fun folks with whom we’ll stay in contact and expect to see again next month.

    Then on to Brooksville for a Blue Grass Festival—our very first but one of those things you’ve just gotta do at least once! There was a non-blue grass group, The Atlantic City Boys, very much like Frankie Valle and the Four Seasons or The Jersey Boys, and I LOVED them! They were incredible and I grinned all the way through their performance. Besides being musically excellent, they are superb showmen with their choreographed movements.



     While in Brooksville, Bill’s antennae picked up info of a festival/display of old train engines, tractors, and trucks so he took off to Fort Meade for the day and enjoyed that. Without any meal preparation needed for the day, I was able to spread out my watercolor materials in our tiny space and paint away.

     Another drive up to Ocala to check on our little rectangle of dirt being graded and prepared for the building of our home, enabling us to meet Donna and George for breakfast and Bruce and Patty for lunch. There’s NO way to eat  ‘healthy’ in restaurants! We’re soon going to be too big to fit through our narrow little doors.  But visiting with our friends—and getting fat—is so much fun!

 


   

     


     From the Blue Grass Fest, we drove farther into Brooksville to have some repair/maintenance done on our coach. Fortunately, the Suncoast Trail is just a stone’s throw away from our site so the 2 days we were there we took ultimate advantage of it both walking and cycling. We all recall the old, tired, and hackneyed ‘saying’ that exercise doesn’t keep but not only that, saddle time doesn’t save, either. Both of these came home to roost. We have made great use of the Suncoast Trail both on foot and bicycle. We are either older than we thought or more out of shape than ever we would’ve believed. We aren’t old so it definitely must be the latter.

     And so the month ends with us returning to Ocala and back in the same campsite we occupied for 2 months in the winter. 

Bill and Laura
Aboard Monaco Dynasty Coach
Ocala, FL


  

Fendering Take Three

When you travel the world, the boat sometimes has to be docked in less than optimum conditions. Nobody wants to med moor against a concrete wall in a large swell and without protection. But, if you want fuel in Nuku Hiva, you’ll need to be able to safely dock in these conditions. Nobody wants to…

Life In A Post-FPB World

“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; …Read More

Missing Daddy

Dylan and Dee Dee had a tough day or so while Daddy flew up to Albany to check on Red Head. Mommy could tell they were a bit out of sorts. She found them lying under the winter coat he left.Or huddled close at her feet while she checked her email. Ever…

Dublin Arrival

We returned to the Republic of Ireland at Dublin after four months in the UK. Conditions on the overnight run from Liverpool were rougher than predicted, with winds blowing 30-40 kts on the bow and a maximum pitch of 21.9°. But the winds eventually settled down and we had calm weather for the last part…

The Great Selene Rendezvous


It was a chilly day at the 2003 Seattle Boat Show when Kathy and John Youngblood boarded their first Selene.  I greeted them aboard, and we began the journey that would take us both half way around the world. The Youngbloods had not owned a boat nor had much experience but they had dreams, big dreams, of taking a trawler to the far reaches of the globe, dreams they shared together for years. Both had done their homework, studying all the facets of long range voyaging under power.  We wrote the…
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Trinidad

In Trini cash is King!

Racor CCV

I’ve never been happy with the RACOR CCV (Closed Crankcase Ventilation) system on our Deere engine so I decided to dig in and learn more. To meet emission requirements, the CCV (the black housing circled above) separates oil from the crankcase vapors, drains the oil back to the sump and sends the vapors back to…

Liverpool Marina

Liverpool Marina was a great base for exploring the city and surrounding area—it’s an easy easy walk from the marina to the waterfront attractions at Royal Albert Dock and downtown. We spent nearly two weeks there, enjoying beautiful Liverpool and particularly the spectacular Bonfire Night fireworks display. Liverpool also is the home of KVH Media…