Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from January, 2011

So many, so much

We've met or reconnected with so many RVing friends and had so much fun over the past month, or has it really just been a week and a half? I'll share details, pics, and video soon, but I just wanted to share that we thoroughly enjoyed our Families on the Road rally , extended day after rally, then post-rally rally! It's really hard to leave these people behind! It took the edge off a bit that we only had to go 16 miles to meet up with another family we'd met last year. :) And it also helps that we're meeting a family from Ohio that now lives in Florida tomorrow. After that, we'll take some downtime to reconnect with the kids (who we hardly saw unless they were attached to other kids), nap, work, rest, blog, and probably nap some more. Fun can be exhausting! There are too many highlights to mention, so I'll save those for a post. But I will say it's awesome to be surrounded by so many people who have no idea what day it is. :) Update: posted here !

Only in Florida...

Wekiwa Springs, post rally

Some of the families from the Families on the Road Rally met up a few days later at Wekiwa Springs State Park , which is oddly on the Wekiva River. It was a nice campground with warm springs and a great paddle with alligators and turtles to an island with concessions and sand volleyball. Mainly though, we wanted to spend more time with our new extended family on the road! First pic is mine and the rest I stole borrowed from Rita DeMichiel . Nope, didn't trust my good camera in a kayak! :)

Fulltime RVing Families Rally

What's more fun than fulltime RVing with your family? Adding a bunch of other families! The Families on the Road Rally was amazing! We had such a good time hanging out with other nomadic families and getting to know them, sharing stories, learning, and laughing. Lots of laughing. And see? We're not the only ones crazy enough to do this! See me on facebook or the comments if you'd like the hi res copy of the pic! The kids ran wild for days! There were so many of them, of many different ages, and they got along so well. They were looking out for the little ones, looking up to the bigger ones, and thoroughly enjoying spending time with all of them. We had a loose schedule, which helps when you're with a group where no one knows what day it is anyway. It's so relaxing and refreshing when there are no clocks or calendars involved! We had a campfire each evening, a digital scrapbooking demo (I had to, it's my job!), a fun science day of oobleck and bombs (you

Roadschool science

Ever wonder what nomadic roadschooling kids do to learn science? Make goo and blow things up of course! The Creasy Clan made Oobleck for us to check out. It's from the Dr. Seuss book Bartholomew and the Oobleck and is so cool. It's goo, but solid when you play with it, but liquid again when you stop. (Technically, it's called a non-newtonian fluid.) So weird, easy to make (cornstarch and water), and fun! Allen contributed to the science theme with, what else but, chemical bombs. Ah, that's why I love him. I won't share those ingredients, for safety's sake. :) It's just a big boom though, and quite fun for a campground full of kids, and adults! Josh even sacrificed a stuffed animal to blow up, in the name of science of course. For the Families on the Road , this is science at its best, at home, on the road. :) More pics from the fun day... Fun from the 2011 Families on the Road / Fulltime Families Rally!

Hidden Waters Preserve

We had a day to kill in Eustis, FL (waiting on RV service) and I'd just heard about this place at homeschool park day, so we headed to Hidden Waters Preserve . It's a huge sink hole in the middle of the city and you wouldn't even know it's there. And it's 90 acres! We saw some of the threatened gopher tortoises and took a trail down to the lake. It wasn't super amazing, but it was a very interesting place, especially right in the middle of town.

Forest River RV customer service is bad

RVers, listen up. Forest River RV customer care STINKS. (They make Sierra, Sandpiper, Cardinal, Cedar Creek, Cherokee, Wildcat). We've been STRANDED for TWO DAYS & no one can approve our service. This isn't the first time we've had issues with them. Jeff Johnson is over Sierra/Sandpiper warranty service and apparently the ONLY person who can approve service. He had jury duty yesterday, and no one else could approve it. Today he's back in, but not answering his phone or returning calls. I asked for his supervisor, but he's out until MONDAY! The VERY snotty receptionist (she has NEVER been pleasant when we've called) said the only higher up is the corporate office. I had to leave a message for their receptionist and had no luck with them yet. I wouldn't leave my job without SOMEONE around who can help deal with any issues. And my job wouldn't leave a family stranded somewhere! Many times we've needed something simple (usually the same thin

Boat ride

We took a ride on Mr. Howard's boat again this year through many of the canals and lakes in the aptly-named Lake County. Dad's friend is a gracious host, driver, and story teller and we had a wonderful day. The water was a perfect mirror, so it was a beautiful scene around each corner. This first pic looks like a painting!