Our season working at the St. Petersburg KOA

April 9, 2016 suzy 2 Comments

We have been on the road now for exactly a year. And the adventure has just begun. Selling the house and nearly everything that we owned was difficult. Leaving our friends and family behind was too. But I have to tell you that we have absolutely no regrets.

Life on the road is everything we thought it would be.

We often are asked how we can support ourselves on the road and I have to say that fortunately for us, we are able to handle most of our bills with income from my websites.

However, we do need a buffer. And that is where KOA has come in. We are doing seasonal work at various campgrounds in order to supplement our income while we see the country.

We worked the summer season in Bar Harbor, Maine, at the Bar Harbor Oceanside KOA. Our winter job was at the St. Petersburg, FL KOA. Just as I did in Maine, I have compiled a video of our season at the campground in Florida.

Enjoy!

We both want to thank all the amazing folks we met at the St. Petersburg KOA for a wonderful experience.

It is a small world out there…

We hope to run into many of them again on the road.

Adventure awaits us around the corner. We are currently in Atlanta, but hope to be hitting the road next week. Our next destination?

Arizona!

Stay tuned!

Places to Go

Top 10 things to see and do in St. Petersburg Florida!

March 27, 2016 suzy 1 Comment

We have spent the last five months in St. Petersburg, FL, working at the St. Petersburg/Madeira Beach KOA.

During the winter season from November to April each year, the population of the area doubles when “snowbirds” move down from the north to enjoy the warmer winter in the area.

For us, that meant winter season jobs at the KOA! And that meant a full five months in St. Petersburg, FL, enjoying the sites and sounds of the area.

I’ve compiled a top 10 list of our favorite places to see and do in the area. Granted, it’s a bit on the foodie side. We like food. It’s a given.

Enjoy!

10. Tarpon Springs

Tarpon Springs is the self proclaimed Sponge Capital of the World. And it was a favorite destination of ours while we were in St. Petersburg. This quaint little coastal town located about 45 north of St. Petersburg had lots of great little shops, handmade soaps, and awesome Greek food.

Oh, and sponges too!

It is a small port that houses the sponge industry. Very entertaining. It is worth the short drive. Be sure to check out the Spongeorama Sponge Factory for the free movie on how the sponge industry started in Tarpon Springs and the sponge museum.

To read about our adventure in Tarpon Springs – Click Here!

9. Twistee Treat

We love ice cream. So there was no way that we could just drive by this huge 20 foot tall ice cream cone without stopping to try out the menu. Twistee Treat is a Florida thing. They are located throughout the state, with two locations right in the St. Pete area.

They specialize in old fashioned soft serve ice cream, yogurt, and other tasty treats. The awesome part? They offer 66 different flavors of soft serve!

Of course this meant my challenge was to try all 66 of those flavors. I made through over half the list, I’m proud to say!

Want to know some great places to view wildlife? Click here…

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Places to Go

Manatee Viewing at Apollo Beach!

March 11, 2016 suzy

I have a confession to make. Until recently, I was not aware of the existence of manatees.

Yes. I know.

Our time here in Florida is getting short. So I wanted to take the time before we leave to witness this beautiful and shy creature that I had heard a whole lot about.

And where do you go to see lots of manatees in one place? Well, it just happens to be a power plant!

The Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach has won many awards over the years for helping the environment, while creating a clean source of electric power. The power station takes salt water from Tampa Bay, uses it to cool Unit 4, and then puts it back into the canal. The water is not only clean, but most importantly- warm.

This clean warm water attracts large numbers of Manatees. They love the fact that in the winter, when Tampa Bay gets a bit chilly, there is a nice toasty place to hang out!

The Manatee Viewing Center soon came to be. It is a state and federally designated manatee sanctuary. And best of all- it is a free attraction!

So what the heck is a Manatee?

They are large aquatic mammal with flippers- looking somewhat like a sea lion. Although, I did read that their closest relative is actually an elephant! The average adult manatee is about 10 feet long and weighs around 1,000 pounds.

They are gentle and slow moving, spending most of their time eating, resting and traveling.

Hmmm….come to think of it, that sounds a whole lot like us!

Our friends Rick and Judy came along with us. This will probably be our last outing together for a while. Rick and Judy are also work campers. They are headed to Montana to work there for the summer.

The great thing about work camping is that you meet some great people.

Of course I had to pose with my new friend the manatee!

He’d never heard of me either…

And yes, there were manatees!

The refuge had lots of great walking trails, mangrove swamps, a gift shop and even a small cafe.

It also included a great little museum where we learned tons about the manatees and the environment that they live in.

If you ever get to this part of Florida, we highly recommend this fun and educational attraction!

And speaking of Florida, we will be heading out of here next week. We really did enjoy our stay here!

There is a reason our home is on wheels, though. We are in this to travel! We will be headed to Atlanta for a few doctor appointments, to visit some family, and then onto Arizona!

Stay tuned!

Places to Go

Tarpon Springs, Florida- The Sponge Capital!

February 24, 2016 suzy 1 Comment

One of my favorite places to visit in the area is the little town of Tarpon Springs. Drawn there originally by an arts and crafts show, we have now driven the 45 minutes north of St. Petersburg several times.

After living in Maine for six months, this little coastal town almost seems like home!

Tarpon Springs is the self proclaimed Sponge Capital of the World. You see, in the early 1900’s, it was discovered that the Gulf of Mexico was rich in varieties of sponges. This attracted Greek sponge divers who wanted to make a living in the United States.

Over the next 30 years, the Tarpon Springs sponge industry became the largest industry in the state of Florida. Even larger than the citrus crops or tourism!

In the 1940s, blight reduced the growth of sponges, and this profitable industry was nearly wiped out. However in the 1980s, new sponge beds were found. Now, Tarpon Springs is back to being a leader in the world’s natural sponge market.

Our first visit in Tarpon Springs included our friends and coworkers, Rick and Judy and their granddaughter.

I’m totally getting that selfie thing down!

This bustling little town is the home of many small and interesting shops. Of course, there are plenty of natural sponges available for purchase all over town.

And lots of great homemade soap shops. I’m a big fan of homemade soaps and having tried my hand at them before, appreciate the quality and amazing selection!

Soap shops, tourist items, t-shirts, you name it. This town has something for everyone.

Couldn’t find enough seashells? They have your back.

I won’t tell.

Dave’s favorite place in this town is the Hella’s Restaurant and Bakery. Their huge selection of Baklava, Spanakopita, cookies, pastries, and cakes is enough to get you in the door. Dave has gone their twice now and stocked up on Cannolis.

Awesomeness.

Yes, this town even has a Husband Day Care Center!

Hungry? Head over to Yianni’s Greek Cuisine Restaurant, right on the Sponge Docks! They offer traditional Greek cuisine and live music. My favorite is the Pork Gyro Platter with tzatziki sauce!

And amazing Sangria!

And I even found a boat named after me!

Tarpon Springs is a great little town for family fun. It is one of the many highlights of our stay here in the St. Petersburg area!

Camping Life

Fun in Florida in the winter!

February 13, 2016 suzy 3 Comments

I’m currently juggling three websites, and this one seems to suffer a bit. My goal (hopefully soon) is to post twice a week on here. Currently, I’m really not doing well at that!

When we first hit the road, I thought I’d have tons of time to write. I mean, I quit a full time job that included a hour and a half commute each way. I should have tons of time, right? But we are work camping right now to help supplement our income. That requires at least 30 hours a week working for the campground for an hourly wage plus campsite.

My other websites, Suzy’s Sitcom and Daily Holiday Blog have taken off this year and I’m trying to keep up with them. Hopefully very soon we will not need the supplemental income provided by work camping. Not that I dislike working at the campgrounds, but I cannot somehow make more hours in my day!

Dave and our friend Judy on a rainy KOA day…

In the meantime, life goes on at the campground! We are currently in St. Petersburg, Florida for the winter, parked amongst the snowbirds from Canada and northern US. We will be here two more months and then will be moving onto the Grand Canyon in Arizona for the summer.

My sister came to town this past week to spend a few days with us. Here is a short video that I put together from her visit!

The winds were pretty strong and it felt like winter finally arrived in Florida. But we had tons of fun in spite of the the windy weather. We look forward to visiting with her again when she comes to Arizona!

Dave needs a haircut pretty badly. After taking a photo of him with his locks blowing in the wind, I couldn’t help myself. I had to make a romance novel cover out of it.

And then post it on Facebook.

Because that is what I do.

By the way, Buffy Dickenson is my make-believe stripper name. (Just put together the name of your first pet and the street you grew up on).

What is yours? LOL!

RV Tips

10 Must have gadgets for the serious RVer

January 19, 2016 suzy 13 Comments

This post contains affiliate links to Amazon.

Dave has always been a fan of gadgets. He loves perusing the internet for handy-dandy tools and extras that would make our life even easier here in this big metal can we call our home. Usually, I don’t understand the issue, but go along with it to keep him happy.

One irritating thing about the hubby is he’s always right. LOL! Anyway, here is our top ten list of gadgets we simply can’t do without!

Continue reading 10 Must have gadgets for the serious RVer →

Camping Life

What is your word for the New Year?

January 6, 2016 suzy 7 Comments

A new year. If there was one word that best describes the year 2015 for us, it would be “change”. It was definitely a year of change. We have seen so many beautiful things this year, made lots of great new friends, and are both so much healthier now than we have been in years.

A year of change.

Christmas didn’t involve the normal family get togethers this year. It was a little strange celebrating the holidays in 90 degree weather.

Yes, record highs! Florida was supposed to be temperate this time of year. Dave calls it Tropical. I call it False Advertising.

But with new lives and new places come new traditions. We celebrated with a beach picnic with our friends from Bar Harbor, Rick and Judy.

New Year resolutions? Well, let’s just say that my main resolution this year is to continue to live freely. To take some advice from my dog Ralph who insists that New Years resolutions need to be simple.

Be nice to nice people.

Enjoy life, travel, go on an adventure.

Rather than focus on resolutions, I am focusing on one word this year. From the website, One Word 365,

One word you can focus on every day, all year long… One word that sums up who you want to be or how you want to live.

It will take intentionality and commitment, but if you let it, your one word will shape not only your year, but also you. It will become the compass that directs your decisions and guides your steps.

So let’s consider that word while I tell you about our holiday.

How do you celebrate Christmas when you are miles from your relatives and currently living in neverending sauna?

You snag your good friends and head to the beach for a picnic! Fort De Soto, to be exact.

Fort De Soto Park is one of my favorite places in the St. Pete area. It is located on five offshore keys, or islands just south of the city. Historically, the islands were used for military fortifications. There are two piers, beaches, picnic areas, hiking trails, bicycling trails, kayak trail, and even a ferry to Egmont Key State Park!

This is Rick and Judy! We met them while working in Bar Harbor, Maine. Winter jobs are hard to get in the camping industry. You see, Florida is in pretty high demand in the winter because much of the campgrounds in cooler areas are closed for the winter.

This means that you might very well run across folks that you worked with in other areas of the country if you are wintering in Florida. Rick and Judy, and one other couple that we worked with in Maine, are working with us here in St. Petersburg.

It’s very nice to have friends in the area to celebrate with.

And do a bit of beach combing with.

Rick and Judy will be heading to the northwest in the spring, and we will be headed to Arizona. We will definitely miss them. The camping world is a small place, so we just may end up working together again in the future.

Change is becoming a regular occurrence.

Oh, and speaking of change, guess who stayed up past midnight for the first time in 30 years?

We have some plans for 2016. We will be here until March, and then will be moving onto Arizona for the summer. The fall is still a mystery. But that is half the fun.

That word for 2016? Let’s go with “Adventure”. And we will see where that takes us.

Happy New Year!

Camping Life

Christmas in Florida

December 13, 2015 suzy 8 Comments

We have been settled in St. Petersburg, Florida for about a month now. I am still behind on posting, but wanted to take some time to catch you up on our travels. In the past month we have visited our favorite place, Tybee Island, GA, attended my daughter’s wedding in Atlanta, and even endured some RV problems.

But we finally made it to our winter destination, St. Petersburg/Madeira Beach KOA. We will be here until March or April, when we begin to head west.

I have to tell you that I miss the snow. As pretty as Florida is, I would prefer to be trekking through several feet of pure white snow. But the RV and Dave both would like to have a warmer winter.

We arrived to 95 degree weather with nearly 100% humidity. Looks like the RV and Dave both got their wish.

Our new spot is quite beautiful and the campground is like a little resort, so I really do not have a lot to complain about. They tucked us in with the snowbirds who all seem very nice. And we even have grass!

Ralph and Faith like it too. They both have lots of things to keep their interest. In fact, there are so many lizards running around here that it is hard to get Ralph to take a poop without getting distracted.

And Faith has an issue with herons (those tall legged white birds with the long necks), so there is always plenty of excitement when I take them outside.

We are working at the campground here. I am in the office and Dave is working on the grounds. And…we are getting the place spiffied up for Christmas!

Dave put up all the blow up decorations this week, and then spent quite a bit of time freaking Ralph out over this outhouse Santa.

Ralph is not a fan of Santas exiting an outhouse. Just saying.

The streets are decorated too! What do you do when there are no fir trees around?

You improvise.

We felt the need to decorate the coach too. Since we had no nearby fir trees to decorate, Dave and I picked out a tiny tree at a local Christmas tree stand.

Charlie Brown would be proud.

Our tree turned out great! We ended up with just enough room in the living room for it. The little table is actually my printer box covered in blankets. (I’m the master of multi- purpose!)

Oh. Did I mention there is a beach nearby? It is 2.5 miles from the campground to Madeira Beach. There will be plenty of beach photos in the next few months.

We have yet to located any great eating places to share with you, but I’m sure we will have a top 10 list before we leave the area.

Since ice cream is my second hobby, I do feel the need to mention this fun soft serve stand, Twistee Treat. There are actually a few of them in the area, all shaped like giant ice cream cones.

And apparently, I have my new challenge for this leg of the trip. Trying each and everyone of those awesome flavors!

Oh, and by the way. That is a medium size cone there. Can’t even imagine what the large one might look like. I think I’m going to like Florida.

On the beach there are snowmen. This will probably be as close as I get to snow this winter. I’ll take what I can get.

And the sunsets here are beautiful too. Christmas in Florida can be quite beautiful!

If you squint a bit, that white sand could be snow. Right?

Stay tuned!

Places to Go

Fall in New Jersey

November 29, 2015 suzy Leave a comment

Did I mention that I’m terminally behind in posts? We have been in Florida for nearly a month and I’m still writing about the trip down!

We took a month to get from Bar Harbor to St. Petersburg, FL and during that time we did a lot of relaxing, visited tourist attractions, and even attended my daughter’s wedding.

After leaving the New England Coast in mid October, we headed to New Jersey.

New Jersey? You bet! Most folks think New Jersey is just an extension of New York City with nothing but pavement, traffic and congestion. And I’m here to tell you that most of New Jersey is nothing like that.

We were headed to Lake Hopatcong, NJ, where Dave grew up. The plan was to visit friends and check out the area. He hadn’t been back in years!

We parked the RV at Panther Lake Camping Resort. It is a 160 acre camping retreat located next to a scenic 45 acre lake in Andover, New Jersey. Loved the beautiful trees and the nice grassy lots! The RV park was just a short driving distance to our destination, Lake Hopatcong.

Lake Hopatcong is the largest freshwater body in New Jersey. Located 30 miles from the Delaware River and 40 miles from New York City, it is a mostly residential lake whose few public access points include Hopatcong State Park and Lee’s County Park Marina.

Most of the shoreline is privately owned by individual lakefront residents, homeowner or community associations, or restaurants and marinas.

Wildlife along the shore was plentiful. In fact the deer were a tad too friendly for my taste. They did not have any fear of humans and would pretty much come right up to you.

They sure were beautiful, though.

Here we were able to meet up with Dave’s childhood friend, Daniel. He and his family still live right here where they grew up. They hadn’t see each other in over 30 years. It was a fun reunion!

We went out to dinner with Daniel and his family where we all insisted on sitting outside along the water, bundled up in our sweaters.

Because when you are in such a pretty area, you really need to enjoy it. Right?

It was a lot of fun meeting this amazing family, and we do hope to visit with them again in the future!

As for the town of Hopatcong and the area around it really seemed to stand still in time. According to Dave, this ice cream stand was a regular destination of his as a child. He says it looks just the same. Home of the Skyscraper, Cliff’s Ice Cream is a regular tourist attraction.

Of course, we had to stop and get a bit of ice cream. Sometimes I have to sacrifice for the benefit of the website. Right?

And I’m here to tell you that New Jersey is a beautiful place in the fall! Check out this fabulous pumpkin and gourd display!

The Lake Hopatcong area is home to many U-pick farms. And many of them are open year round! Depending upon the season, you can find all types of fruits, vegetables and flowers available.

We spent quite a bit of time at several of the farms in the Andover area, picking large black berries, cucumbers, green peppers, and fresh corn.

Just look at this bounty! You can’t find fresher corn that that! And if you are looking for a great way to make it and some yummy berry cobbler on the grill, be sure to check out my 3 Berry Cobbler and Grilled Corn on the Cob recipes!

Faith says we need to get back on the road now. Note the gapped teeth in the front. We call her our little hillbilly.

Anyway, we headed south from New Jersey after a fun visit. Our next long-term destination would be Tybee Island, Georgia, for a brief reprieve before we attended my daughter’s wedding in Atlanta.

Stay tuned!

Places to Go

A visit to the New England Coast

November 19, 2015 suzy 1 Comment

I’m a little behind on posts. We are currently in St. Petersburg, FL at our current campground job. Over the past month, we’ve traveled south, attended a beautiful wedding, and even had some major RV issues. Lot’s of ground to cover! So I’m going pick where we left off…

After leaving New Hampshire, we headed toward the coast to check out Boston Cape Cod KOA. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the manager who told us that Bar Harbor Oceanside KOA had won the Founders Award!

This is one of the top awards given out by KOA based on customer satisfaction. We were thrilled to be part of it! And how awesome to be recognized as part of a successful team!

And speaking of great campgrounds, Boston Cape Cod had lots of green space and large shady RV spots. We made ourselves at home and pulled out some maps to check out the area.

We wanted to see the beach and decided to start with Nobska Point Lighthouse. The Nobska Point Light is located at the southwestern tip of Cape Cod, in Massachusetts. It overlooks Martha’s Vineyard and Nonamessett Island.

The light station was established in 1826, and the current tower dates to 1876.

If you don’t know by now, I simply cannot pass up a lighthouse photo.

Or a fun bird photo for that matter. It was rainy that day and the ocean was full of white caps and foam which made for a cool background in this seagull photo.

And look at the rocks! Have I mentioned before how much I love fun rocks? In fact, last time we were in Massachusetts, I found rocks to love.

After a day of perusing the beaches, we stopped at the local diner.

One of the many things I love about the New England area is all the vintage diners. Yummy food served quickly and in a nostalgic atmosphere. This diner, interesting enough is called “Dave’s Diner“. Easy to remember, right?

While it looks like a vintage diner, it was actually built in 1998. The diner colors, layout and decor were carefully chosen to create the fun and colorful look of the 50’s era.

And the food was delicious!

Of course, no trip to Cape Cod would be complete without a visit to Plymouth Rock, right?

Upon entering the town of Plymouth, we saw this impressive structure along the shore. The rock was waiting for us inside! We prepared ourselves to be duly impressed. This rock had seen so much history!

Here is where the pilgrims first stepped onto shore from their ship, the Mayflower!

Well…it must have been a small ship. Or the rock shrunk. Or something. I wasn’t prepared for how small it actually was.

And it turns out after some research that no historical evidence exists to confirm this rock as the Pilgrim’s actual stepping stone to the New World. Plymouth rock is more of a symbol of the courage and faith of the men and women who founded the first colony in New England.

And that is okay with me. Even if it was slightly underwhelming.

According to my research, the rock as it exists today is estimated to be only about 1/3 to 1/2 of it’s original size due to being broken and chipped away at by 18th and 19th century souvenir hunters.

Oh, and notice the scar across it? Apparently sometime in the 1800’s, it was decided to move part of the rock to the center of town where folks could better enjoy it. That part was eventually moved back to join the rest of the rock a few years later, and “frankensteined” back onto the other half.

We might have been a tiny bit disappointed by the rock, but the replica of the Mayflower definitely made up for it. And the beautiful sunset behind it.

Red skies at night means “sailors delight”.

New England was beautiful. Someday, we hope to return and spend a bit more time there. But time was going fast. We had to be in Atlanta by November 1 for my daughter’s wedding and then onto our new job in St. Pete.

So we hit the road again.