First Chill in Florida

Well, it's 2 degrees warmer here this morning than it is in Phoenix or Mesa, AZ so, that's still better -- though it is chilly.  Skies are clear this morning and the sun is making it a bit warmer now in the RV -- heat came on a few times last night and this morning.

Yesterday morning started with a brilliant display of color as the clouds were surrounding us and threatening all day to rain as the forecast had called for a 30% chance -- hardly a few drops fell.  The "Red Sky in Morning, Sailor take Warning" had me thinking the forecast would surely prove true but, the winds from the southwest seemed to push even the darkest clouds through without pouring forth any raindrops.  The surf again was littered with waves of seaweed that had pushed in with the previous days of northeasterly winds and the few guys trying to fish were again chasing their lines, hooks and sinkers up the beach -- one guy (Mike from Prince Edward Island) nearly disappeared up the beach as he struggled to haul a 6 foot long pile of seaweed and line from the surf.  He had lost his previous rig a little earlier and working with his last, it seemed more precious to him (if he wanted to fish any longer that day).  A little later in the day, he cast out and then retrieved another huge pile which included another guys rig -- lost a little earlier in the day too.

I waited until late in the afternoon when most of the clouds had pushed through before trying my luck in the surf (which was at low-tide)-- didn't catch anything but, gobs of seaweed and one little crab which dropped off one of the gobs of seaweed that I retrieved with my gear.  I saved the little creature (and my fishing rig) and took the little bluecrab back to the RV to show Tiger and Molly.  Molly was most interested in the little creature and played a little with it before I returned it back to the surf a little later.

Red-sky Warning

I decided to have a couple martinis after the walk in the surf (with my fishing pole up and down the beach) and they were quite tasty -- French martinis with the whipped cream vodka (new bottle).  Yummy as usual and the reheated bluefish with a salad made the end to another day here quite palatable.  Cooked my one last blue (caught yesterday) and have it ready for tonight in case I decide not to fish or in case I get skunked again -- high tide is around noon so, it will probably be in the 60s by then and hard to resist another day on the beach (with a fishing pole in hand).

The "Snowbirds" seem to be gathering here in Florida as there now is only one open space at the Oceanfront row through which I can get my "Oceanview" -- another small gap between the two directly in front gives me another small piece of the ocean to check the wave action (and look for presence of seaweed).

Christmas Eve Approaches

Christmas Star??

Well, I have been here at Flagler Beach, FL just over two weeks now and have two more weeks until I hope to head farther south and relocate this RV somewhere near the Keys -- still looking for that next spot (that doesn't break the bank and my tight budget).

Fishing started to improve some yesterday afternoon and evening as the mass of seaweed seems to have rotted or dispersed elsewhere in the ocean -- waters are still not as clear as they were when I originally arrived here but, the waves of seaweed are no longer rolling in and tearing our lines and gear away.  Day before yesterday, I caught this massive pile of seaweed and struggled to bring it in as my line was hooked onto some line that looked my own -- turned out to be someone elses whole rig (steel leader, hooks and sinker) and it even had a piece of bait (mullet tail) still on one of the hooks (all gnarled into a 15 or 20 pound pile of seaweed).  That was the second time I had caught the same kind of pile in the past few days as the fishing had been so poor -- that's all we were catching.

I walked the shallow waters and the sandbar at low-tide yesterday (around noon) to survey the waters and look for possible keeper shells or a gold dubloon -- waters still looked murkey and even six inches of water were hard to see through to the bottom.  Last nights high-tide (around 7:30 pm) brought better fishing in the late afternoon as fellow fishermen started catching some blues and spot (caught by the "beginner" from Prince Edward Island). He (Mike) has caught the biggest fish so far -- a 24 inch Red Drum and an 18 inch Black Drum (which I thought was a Grey Snapper).  I joined the other guys on the beach around 3:30 (after putting some food down for Tiger and Molly) and managed to catch a couple blues myself (put one back because it was too small) and returned to the RV with three blues (two were caught by Dick from Colorado and he didn't want them -- only eats the whiting he says).  So I baked the three blues and we devoured one of the smaller ones, leaving the other two for Christmas Eve dinner.

This one's on the beach (backyard)

The past couple of days were fantastic as the temps were near 80 both days and had to turn on the ceiling vent fan in the RV and open most windows to take advantage of a small southwesterly breeze -- just to keep the inside temp below 85 (mostly for the twins).  After walking the shallows in the ocean, I walked along the Coastal Highway for a little distance south of the campground and took some pics of a few of the beautiful homes just beyond our location.  One is a gated community with slips for boats and a canal that leads to the Intracoastal Waterway -- one lot at the road is available for $395,000 for anybody interested.  Home and lots combined are going for $599,000 -- with a slip for your boat (not big enough for your yacht).

Gated community across the highway

Home/Lots starting at $599,000



Beautiful Start to the Day



Proof I have gotten up early too before the sun rises behind the row of RVs -- ever increasing in numbers as each day goes by, my "oceanview" is being blocked though, I can see the ocean now from where I sit, (between two palm trees and over Tiger's head as he naps on the dash with his nose near the pack of freshly sprouted grass ready for him and Molly to munch on).  Christmas Eve day has started and wish you all were here for a cheap bottle of wine and a martini -- fresh fish too.



Blue Skies and More Blues

Woke this morning with the temps in the 50s and the sun getting ready to pop over the horizon so, had to get an early shot with the camera before deciding what to do today -- whether to fish or not.  Didn't fish yesterday as the temps only got into the 60s after starting out in the 40s and the wind was from the north -- pushing more seaweed and trash down from the upper parts of the beach.  Only a couple of the die-hards tried some short spells and came up empty (except for pounds of seaweed).

Another Beautiful Day - More Coming

The skies were mostly blue today and the winds had shifted and were coming out of the ESE in the early a.m. and progressively worked toward coming out of the SSE -- early winds were a bit more stiff so, I disconnected my white chaser-lights and rolled in the large patio awning most of the way to avert any damage to the awning.  Content to have the blue/white party lights only this evening.  A few of the other guys went out around low-tide and tried fishing even though the surf looked heavily littered with the seaweed and debris -- I had decided early to wait until closer to high-tide (around 2:00 pm) and shortly after with the hope that the changing tide would help take some of the trash with it.

Everyone else had given up fishing and a couple teenage boys were enjoying the surf and bodysurfing in the area most of us fishermen had been trying our luck so, I headed a little down the beach and looked for openings in the trash and seaweed to cast -- found some nice holes and my first cast got a strike and managed to land the first of three blues.  I had numerous other hits too.  Most of the other surf-fishers came out again later after seeing I had been having fun and landing some fish -- think one or two of them caught a few of the smaller whiting (not as good a fighting fish and not as big as the blues).  So, I cooked two of the three blues in the convection oven with lots of Bay Seasoning, margarine and lemon -- soo tasty and Tiger loved any of the tidbits I gave him too (he's curled up now after licking his chops more than once or twice).  Me too but, I'm not curled up yet.

I am getting used to that convection oven and have the ingredients for making peanut butter muffins tomorrow morning -- may share with some of the others if they turn out alright.  Much better than cooking on a grill or propane stove -- microwave is nice to have also -- didn't have that in the pop-up camper (or the freezer).  And then, there's the washer drier combo.

Most other campers are out now walking their dogs and I can hear them talking -- and the dogs barking.  I am waiting for a load of laundry to finish drying -- all my wet and dirty fishing clothes.  Walked down to the campstore after dinner to check for mail but, nothing today -- did get my first Christmas card on Saturday morning and think one or two more may make it before Sunday.  Wow!  Christmas this weekend and New Years just around the corner -- and it's going to be around 80 in the next few days.

Still No Comments as in NC=NE (No Entries)

Have no idea how everyone is as in HIE? (How Is Everyone?)  My gibberish only got noticed by three people and no one else so, Oh Well or Oh Hell with it.

Did just finish a fresh fish dinner after giving another try at fishing today -- since it was such a beautiful day down here and hard to resist the beach.  Had walked the beach earlier today and attempted to find a few of those mole crabs (or sand fleas as some people call them) -- wanted to show them to Tiger and Molly but, came up empty-handed.  Tried to dig up some hermit crabs too from their holes in the dry sand but, failed at that too.

Thankfully, caught one bluefish and filleted it and marinated it in some cheap wine and Bay Seasoning -- Tiger enjoyed a few little morsels but, Molly wouldn't take a little bite from my finger tips.  Her loss.  Lost one blue in the surf as it hit the beach and had a couple good bits too -- more promising.

Had a spell of three or four straight days of not catching any fish and others here too were having similar problems catching anything -- one guy who's been coming here six years in a row said he hadn't seen the fishing being so poor.  Think the reason may be tied to the record rainfall last Sunday when St. Augustine had nearly 4 inches of rain -- most in a single day since they started recording in 1973.


Sunrise and time to fish (for some)

 It's been just over a week now that I've been here and had my first Happy Hour last night with three couples coming over for veggie platter and some other snacks such as nuts and some tarts.  One couple from PA (Wayne and Cindy) will be heading out tomorrow morning to Ft. Lauderdale to spend Christmas and New Years there with their son nearby.  Had fun talking to them about UFOs and Pumo Puncu and Mayan Prophecies -- she even claims to have seen UFOs twice -- once with her daughter (in PA).  She was a school teacher and is now disabled/retired and she and her husband (also retired) have a 50 acre farm somewhere near Williamsport -- grand canyon area of PA (somewhere in the Susquehanna River watershed).

Happy Hour Time in Flagler Beach

The other two couples are from Prince Edward Island (Mike and Dawn Ann) and Ontario (Borges and Marie) and retired in their mid and late 50s -- proof that their government provides better for them especially on the medical coverage too.  These couples will be here through Christmas and New Years so, may be the core group for another Happy Hour or two.  Two other couples were invited too but, one had planned a dinner out so couldn't make it.  The other couple are from Colorado and Dick planned to be fishing at the time of Happy Hour so declined and his wife has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and doesn't get out of their RV much at all -- I see her many times just laid out at the front, center of their RV in a recliner and covered with blankets.  All I could do was to try to get them over and maybe next time they will surprise me and the others.

Sunset A Couple Days ago

The place is starting to fill up more and more -- cold weather must be driving more folks down this way (like me and others).  Don't know yet how long most are staying but, I have time to find out.

ZC=ZE

HIE?  HURW.  WCTPJICSII.

Au Revoir.  UAT.

Day One Flagler Beach

Had hoped for a beautiful and memorable sunrise here this morning but, the longer I waited the more cloudy it seemed to get -- one brief opening provided the only shot worth attaching.  Temperature must have been high 50s or nearly 60 with a breeze coming from the north (it seemed).

Second cup of coffee had me on the beach and introducing myself to some of the early risers (surf fishermen) and one was from Colorado -- actually grew up in Grand Junction (that was Dick).  Another, was Mike and he and his wife Diane were from Prince Edward Island -- he was enjoying his second day ever of fishing in his life -- talked of catching some whiting the day before and someone else catching some bluefish and giving them those as well.  Guess they had a good dinner the night before.

After getting some encouraging words from Dick and Mike, I decided to dig out those leftover shrimp from Myrtle Beach and gathered my gear for a day of fishing, hopeful to catch something more than I had at Apache Pier.  The beach was not as expansive as the "Grand Strand" and, in fact, was mostly large granular sand (coral color) with lots of crushed shells and littered with lots of seaweed -- plenty more seaweed in the water too as I discovered quickly when I tried my luck fishing -- seaweed clung to fishing line and made "feeling bites" almost impossible.  Didn't catch squat after a few hours so, decided to give up for awhile and get cleaned up so I could get to the grocery store to get some food -- didn't seem likely that I would be catching dinner for tonight.

Made a run south down A1A to the road I had taken coming in to the RV resort and then back over to 95N to the Palm Coast exit -- next one north from the one I had taken.  I knew there was a Walmart at the Palm Coast exit after Googling it when I was still in Myrtle Beach -- always look for the nearest one as it has become my favorite shopping place for most everything.  After shopping, I took the road for the Palm Coast and followed signs to A1A going back to Flagler Beach -- a $2 toll just to go over the bridge of the Intracoastal Waterway (each way) so, will avoid that on further shopping trips.

The section of A1A north of here has some gorgeous mansions along the beach and would certainly be prime spots for some future retirees -- with lots of money (not me).

Tried fishing some more after putting away the groceries and still got skunked -- decided to buy some different bait at the campground store and will be ready again tomorrow.  High tide around 1:00 pm.

Had a few beers earlier and am having the second glass of a cheap wine I had bought at Walmart -- "Lucky Duck" from Chile (suits my taste and my budget - less than $4).  The full moon made an appearance as I sat earlier looking out and four ships or fishing boat's lights were visible on the horizon -- thought they might be moving south but, not sure now (may take another look).  See if the reflected light of the moon is still there too.

Florida for Christmas



Left Myrtle Beach a little before 8:00 AM and arrived down here at Flagler Beach around 3:30 - 3:45 PM with a pretty strong breeze coming off the ocean and still in the 60s -- expected low in the mid 50s.  First time I've backed into a space so, had some trepidation about getting aligned by myself and not taking out any resort structures in the process.  Not a problem -- except maybe that Palm tree I had in my back up camera -- and an eyeball from the front step assured me I had done alright.  Now the view out my front window is nothing but ocean and waves with a few palms next to the seawall.



Picture from the front step of the RV



View from the RVs driver's seat

Took a long time for this RV to warm up during the drive this morning so my toes were never warm until I crossed the border of Florida -- I gave three big toots on the airhorns (for the three of us on this journey).  Tiger and Molly don't have the same appreciation for the view of the ocean and both are just now getting an appetite enough to eat and are hunkering down on their little red blankie on the sleep number bed.

Last evening in Myrtle Beach, I had walked down to the pier to check the mail and leave them a forwarding address also as the Post Office was less than assuring that mail could be forwarded from my last address at Apache Campground and Pier.  I tried to change the address online but, the program denied my change because of some rule about business addresses -- ended up talking to a superviser at the Post Office (good looking woman) and she took the information to change forwarding from my Kingstowne address -- who knows how effective that will be??

As I went to the pier I had taken my camera and actually had some nice pics I had hoped to share but, this duffis deleted all but one of the nicest shots while trying to save them down to email size.  Out of anger at myself I went ahead and deleted the last image too -- the start of my walk to the pier with no more RVs between me and the view of the ocean.

There was a pretty stiff breeze coming off the ocean (from the southwest) and it was whipping up some 5 to 6 ft seas with high frequency and as I walked out the pier, I saw two surfers in wetsuits heading out into the surf just north of the pier (so they wouldn't be swept viciously into the pilings of the pier).  I took some pictures of them challenging the waves and paddling vigorously to get out to the start of the breakers -- one may have been a young woman but, didn't have my binoculars to confirm.  After seeing the pictures when I returned, the ocean around them was azure blue and really amazed me -- maybe that is part of the reason I so dumbling deleted the hi-res images (thought I had resized them all smaller before deleting).  There were some neat shots too of a few seagulls just floating above some of the pier structures -- not flapping their wings at all, just frozen in the air.  The waves at the end of the pier were as big as any I had seen in the past month and the pictures are only in my mind now -- can anybody help me download these??  By the way I did try to open the trash bin and see if I could restore them but, the images were not to be found among 71MB of the folder associated with my camera.

Damn!  Damn!  Dummy!











Get Ready to Ramble

Well, the twins (Tiger and Molly) will be hearing the "Rumble" a little later this afternoon but, for now they are seemingly content strolling and studying the start of the day on the dashboard -- poor, unsuspecting kitties.  The hints will start after getting this entry posted.  First, pack up the martini bar and save enough of the "Whipped Cream Vodka" for the first French Martini in Florida sometime tomorrow night, if all goes well on the road to the "Sunshine State" -- home of margaritaville too.  Guess I do have some Tequila somewhere in that bin too -- just need the mixer (Walmart will always be nearby and have already Googled one near Flagler Beach).

The start of the day was rosy, pink and purplish with the leading edges of the clouds for the next weather maker pushing ahead of a winter blast -- reminder of "Red-sky in morning, Sailor take warning" and this ex-sailor has definitely gotten that message.  Checking Weather.com this morning shows New Mexico in the teens this morning with expected highs in the 30s -- and that's where I originally thought of heading this Thursday in order to be close to Denver for Christmas.  Roads would have been wet and icy all the way into Texas.  So nice to be able to change plans and point this RV in a different direction -- toward the sun and warmth.

Well, time to start packing and putting things in travel mode -- after one last cup of coffe and a look down to the beach and pier.

Winding Down

Well, only one more day to go here in MB -- don't think it will be as good as today.  Today started with another nice sunrise and a better view toward the pier and beach since the South Dakota RV had left in the A.M.  Only one other motorhome remained to partially block the view of the ocean.

Took my camera with me on my walk to the pier this morning (anticipating some clearer pictures of the beach) so will have them mixed in to show.  I think it must have gotten into the high 70s or low 80s today -- shorts weather and good day to spend on the pier fishing.  Didn't catch much of anything -- just a slippery, twisting eel and a few small black sea bass (too small to keep) -- might have caught the same one three times.  Ha Ha








Tomorrow will be packing day and vacuuming before pulling in the sliders and getting the RV into travel mode -- first stop to fill up with diesel tomorrow afternoon and then hitch up the Jeep for early Thursday departure.

Unexpected Rain

Just made the walk to the pier to pick up mail for the day -- received a Thanksgiving card from my brother and sister-in-law (postmarked 17 Nov in Denver).  How much is that first class stamp now?

Some light rain fell earlier and had cleared a bit for my trip down to the pier office where it was a rather eery scene on the pier.  As I looked both up and down the beach to see most of the beachfront high-rise buildings they were barely visible beyond a half mile in either direction -- they almost looked like buildings emerging from giant snow drifts or glaciers.  They were really covered by low clouds that had blown in off the ocean -- another giant one was blowing in directly at the pier so, I didn't make my usual walk to the end of the pier as a light misty rain began to fall.  The ocean was a misty grey with frothy waves rolling onto the beach -- seemingly chasing or giving birth to those clouds already on the beach and surrounding the buildings.

Made it back to my RV in time to say hello to the owner of the brown RV now blocking my view of the ocean -- he's leaving tomorrow morning and heading for Jacksonville, Florida.  I mentioned that I would be heading that way on Thursday morning and laying over at Flagler Beach -- a little south of where he would be.  He was familiar with the resort and mentioned a couple others that I may check for the next leg of my trip -- Key Largo.  And then more rain came with that cloud I had seen bearing down on the pier.  Beer time -- Happy Hour! (Just me and the kittens -- non-drinkers)

Getting ready for Florida

Spent the morning and early afternoon yesterday looking again at RV resorts in Florida and decided to start with a month in a spot just below St. Augustine and Palm Coast.  New address will be 2816 North Oceanshore Blvd., Flagler Beach, FL 32136 and will be even closer to the beach (oceanview) than here in Myrtle Beach.  After that I plan to relocate farther south to be close to Key Largo with hopes of getting to Key West for the first time ever.  Been to key Largo before and really enjoyed snorkeling with my son and daughter at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park some years back -- think they have fond memories of that time too (I hope).

Looks Pretty Brown to me

Lost my view of the beach here on Saturday with the arrival of another motorhome of equal size which pulled into a spot two down from me toward the beach and pier -- appear to be from South Dakota and haven't yet met them or know how long they are staying (guess I could peek at their passes on the dashboard to find out -- maybe on my trip to the pier this morning).

Clouds are hanging around here but, not blocking the sun (yet) as they did yesterday and temps are supposed to be around 70 today and tomorrow with some change in the weather expected by Friday -- good time to be in Florida (should be there Thursday night after a 7 or 8 hour drive).  Looking out west and finding the temps are in single digits today with snow forecast all the way down and past Albuquerque (original spot I had given thoughts of relocating to from here) makes me glad I changed my mind -- that's what you can do when driving one of these big rigs.

Now to rig it for the road and ease poor Tiger and Molly into travel mode -- they have no idea now but, suspect they will catch some hints when we pull the sliders in and go for diesel Wednesday afternoon -- should be on 95S by this same time Thursday morning.  Dig out the suntan lotion and clean the shades.

Last Weekend in Myrtle Beach

Well, for this trip anyway -- who knows where this journey will take me next fall.  December of next year will also be something to ponder -- as I noticed in the early evening after sunset last night, planets seem to be aligning and the crescent moon shined brightly in the middle, backing toward the sun that had disappeared just a little earlier.

I awoke early this morning in the 4:00 or 4:15 range and sought out more contact names as I had missed a call last night around 7:22 pm but, didn't recognize the number (no name either since it wasn't entered in my contact list).  Had thought it could possibly have been my cousin Janet who lives in Sumter, SC but, that wasn't her number as it turns out and was more likely some guy Steve interested in the speakers and tuner I still have among my things and had put on Craigslist -- he seemed to be more of a bother and couldn't get over in the afternoon as he had indicated (took all the items off Craigslist this morning).

Scanned another 24 of the 95 postcards from grandma Esther Cunningham's postcard album and found two small locks of infant's hair in the creases of the album -- tied together with some pieces of thread.  Also scanned her teacher's certificate from the 11th of July 1904, Elk county Kansas -- third grade teacher in Howard for the school year ending July 1905.  It even had her grades listed on the left but, I won't divulge them -- rest in peace grandma (what is Orthography anyway?).

As the sun rose over the ocean this morning, I could see the waves splashing on the beach from my bedroom window and the wind coming off the ocean was whipping 3 to 4 ft. clouds of mist along with them.  After sending the scans I had done to relatives, I grabbed a small bite or two for breakfast with a couple more cups of coffee before heading down to the pier for my usual walk out to the end.  The ocean today was really "bouncy" I would say as in if you were in a small boat you would be getting bounced and rolled about.  Not too many fishermen this morning but, high tide is not until about 2:00 pm this afternoon (about now).

Time for some lunch and will sit on the sofa to look toward the beach, surf and pier (maybe with the binoculars).  After that, maybe some college football and a walk on the beach a little later -- toward the setting sun -- no martinis today though.  Had two yesterday afternoon and sat in that big black chair to enjoy the warmth and the taste (whipped cream vodka and pineapple juice) and soaked up the sun -- forgot that I hadn't eaten much before them so, the walk down the beach left lots of sand in my sandals.

Forgot to mention, that yesterday and today the porpoises were really active and close to the pier and beach.  Yesterday, they were especially close the pier and some large cruiser waves were coming in from the ENE and one or two them even body surfed with the waves toward the beach -- if swimmers had been in the water they probably could have touched them.  Really neat to see (didn't have my camera).

The Chill is Back

Skies are clear but, the chill returned again last night -- keeping me comfortably inside as I get caught up on emails, studying the stock market and getting an email birthday card off to my son Tim.  He is 33 today and nearly half my age now -- over half next year at this same time.

MB Sunrise 12/01/11

The view earlier from my bedroom window reveals all the empty spots between here and the beach in the distance -- nicer view but, less neighbors to say hi to on my usual morning walk to the pier.  The twins were enjoying the clearer view around too and have included their pics on opposite sofas -- now they are napping in almost opposite positions of the Winnebago.

Molly on opposite sofa (from Tiger)

Tiger on the sunnyside

It's supposed to be down to 32 here tonight so, I should dig more deeply into getting the RV prepared for the cold -- possibly more for the trip west (though some thoughts this morning had me wondering about a winter stop in Florida -- possibly Tampa or Key Largo -- HMMM).  Saw on the weather channel that Denver is getting snow (as my son drives northwest to Boulder and work there) and also noted that even Flagstaff is supposed to get 8 - 12 inches of snow and Albuquerque an inch (Hmmm, Hmmm, Hmmm).

Beach - Left (south)

Beach - Right (north)

End of another day here in Myrtle Beach -- Visited the Pier, picked up mail and saw some nice Red Drum being filleted out on the end of the pier.  May command another day of fishing -- maybe this weekend.