Living Life as a Nomad : Hi Cows!!

Living Life as a Nomad : Hi Cows!!: This post still finds us 'holed up' at Alliance Coach in Wildwood, Florida.  Things have finally slowed down for Paul and I what w...

A household helpful hint from Justkreuzin.com

 Do you spend a lot of money on fabric softeners throughout the year? Maybe not as much as detergent but it is still a cost that will never go away. We have come up with an idea we feel may stretch that bottle out many more loads of wash.

What we did was take about six 2" x 5" sponges and cut them in half. We purchased a quart size container of our favorite liquid softener. We also purchased a quart size container.

We took the liquid softener and added 1/4 cup to the container and filed the container the rest of the way with water. This is now what we us in our dryer. We take one or two sponges depending on the size of the load and place them in the dryer. Yes they will be saturated with the mixture of softener and water. As the load dries, the sponges become dry and the cloths become soft.

After we use the sponges we simply just toss them into the container of mix we have for next time. Will this save a lot of money? No, but it will along with many other money saving ideas help with a budget.
I hope this is somewhat helpful to our RV readers as well as our friends who live in a house or apartment. Be sure to check out Sondra's new blog about some very puzzling items.  Remember, it's nice to be important but it's more important to be nice.   

Protect your outside RV cords from the elements

Go from messy to neat and clean with this bucket that holds your 30/50 amp cord.   Total time to build about one hour plus drying time.





Here is an easy way to keep your 30/50 amp cord from being damaged by outside elements like sun, rain, dirt, as well as possible slices or cuts from a rock or tree limb.  I recently thought about coming up with a way to protect and extend the life of my 30/50 amp outside RV cord.  I knew it had to be contained in something.  What would be inexpensive and do the trick?  As I was walking through a RV service area I noticed a cord all coiled up inside a 5 gallon bucket.  

 It hit me!!!  Use the 5 gallon bucket as a case for the 30/50 amp cord.   

Hmmm??  

 Will it store the cord inside for travel?  Yes.  Will it be easy to carry and set up?  Yes.  Will it protect the cord from the elements of the outside world?   Yes.  Will it still be useable without problems?  YES, YES, YES!!!  

So here is what I did.  Go to your local hardware store or Walmart and purchase a 5 gallon bucket with the lid.  Pick up a small thing of silicone as well as about 2 feet of ½ inch hosing of your choice.  I used black with the threading inside it.  

 Get your razor knife, a rag for wiping your hands off after using the silicone, and a pencil or pen.  A drill with a bit (I used a ¼ bit), as well as a work area.   

At the bottom of the bucket, straight down from where the handle is hanging.  Measure a rectangle hole in the bottom of the bucket large enough to slide one end of the 30/50 amp cord through.  I went about 4”x 3”. 

 After you mark the square on the bucket, take your drill and drill a hole for each corner.  Using your razor, carefully run it from one hole to the other until it breaks the surface and cuts through the rectangle.  Cut the bottom of the bucket last as the bottom will assist you with holding the piece of plastic you will eventually throw out.   

Now that you have a rectangle cut out at the bottom of the bucket, take your electric cord and slide one end through the hole to assure the hole is large enough.  NOTE: If the cord just fits or you have to force it through, you may want to enlarge it some.  When you are certain the hole is large enough, you can begin the next step. 

  

Take the ½ hose and with a lot of careful cutting, slice it from one end to the other allowing it the capability to slide over the cut area and hide the edge of the rectangle.  After you decide how much hose you will need to cover the entire perimeter of the hole, proceed to silicone around the entire hole on both sides and let dry before going forward.   

Your next step is to use your razor knife again and go to the opposite side of the bucket from the rectangle and at the top where the lid secures, cut a U shape or rectangle shape that will be large enough to pass the cord through and still be able to close the lid.   You can do it many ways, choose what works for you.

   


Use another piece of the black ½ hose to go around the cut out again and be sure to silicone that area as well.  

 In a day you will have a dry and ready case for your 30/50 amp cord.  Take the shore side of the cord and insert it through the bucket and out the bottom hole.  Allow about 2 feet of cord to be left outside.  (This cord can also be slide back inside the bottom of the bucket when traveling.)   

 



Using a spiral method, coil the remaining cord and the other plug into the bucket until the opposite end is all in the bucket.  Close the lid.  Now you are ready to store it away. 

 
 When you use it, pull the shore side plug out and plug your shore side in, after that allow just enough cord from the bucket to connect to your RV.   



Replace the lid on the bucket and there you have it.  Neat, protected from the elements, and safe.  Have fun and good luck!!!

"Taste of Pinellas, 2014"

Sometimes you have to leave your home to attend a festival or weekend get together.  This was the case with Taste of Pinellas.  The “Taste of Pinellas”, is a food and music festival produced by Bill Edwards Presents Inc. that benefits All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, FL. The event, scheduled annually for more than 26 years, was postponed in 2013 and is back in full force this year!

Over the years, Taste of Pinellas has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for All Children's, the most advanced children's hospital on Florida's west coast.  With 259 beds and more than 50 pediatric specialties, All Children's Hospital, a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine, is a leading provider of care for Florida's children. It is dedicated to advancing children's health through treatment, research, education and advocacy.

This year's Taste, scheduled Friday and Saturday, May 9-10, brings an updated combination of local food, celebrity headliners, music and family fun to an all-new venue - Albert Whitted Park in downtown St. Petersburg. The park is located across the street from The Mahaffey Theater and Dali Museum.

Sondra and I decided that we would take on this week end of 70s long hair bands and as well as some of the best disco.  The full lineup included:     Friday 4 p.m. T. C. Carr & Bolts of Blue, 5 p.m. Loverboy,  6:30 p.m. Bruce Hornsby and The Noisemakers and at 8:30 p.m. Pat Benatar.  On Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Dan Orlando Band, 5 p.m. The Black Honkeys, 6:30 p.m. KC and the Sunshine Band, ending at 8:15 pm with The Blues Brothers. 

The food was all over the place and choices on what to eat became an important debate.  We settled by taking what we knew would be a tasty meal at Pipo's Café, St. Petersburg which gave us some of the best Jumbolia, pork and rice with a few sides.  After tasting Sondra’s Jumboia, I made a decision to go jumboia on Saturday.  This may not have been the best choice as the flavor o
f it was totally different than the day before.  Almost like a spice was overlooked and not placed in the recipe.  

Musically we had a great time.  Loverboy, KC and the Sunshine Band, The Blues Brother’s all gave great performances but the stand out was Pat Benatar.  I know I told the News article that Loverboy was my favorite only bc Loverboy was , but I have to give kudos to Benatar who is hitting notes like it was her early days.  She was phenomenal!!  On Friday we were approached by a reporter as I just touched with you and we had an extensive conversation about the bands, back in the day, as well as why we were in the area.  

Here is the interview with him, not a lot but enough.  The funny thing about the reporter is that he interviewed myself with Sondra and had a photo graph in his write up that was not us.  Actually and here is the funny part.  Just behind the dancing girls in the photograph is Sondra’s sister Laura, her fiance Kenny, and Laura’s daughter Sarah not the focal point of the picture, but to be in it is pretty amazing as well.  We did not even notice this until it was pointed out to us by my sister in law on Saturday evening.  The website with the interview will be obtainable on here as well.  

http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/taste-of-pinellas-returns-on-a-hot-night-of-food-and-music/2179138

While we were in St Petersburg, Fl we stayed at the Hollander Hotel on 4th Ave N and 4th St. N.  The hotel was a very nice place with a delicious breakfast for a small cost.  We even received a ride over to the concert and back if we choose.  The people at the Hollander were awesome!  

http://hollanderhotel.com/

Summing it up, Sondra and I had a real good time enjoying music we listened to when we were kids.  Eating food that made us say, “YUM!!” and staying in a hotel that was clean, quiet, and reasonable in cost.  Good chance we will come back next year!!  Until next time, have a great day and a better tomorrow!!  Oh be sure to catch Sondra's recent blog too.

The Freezer Tiki Bar and Restaurant

When you are in Crystal River and only a 20 minute ride to Homosassa, Florida, you have to check out this restaurant. 

• 5590 S Blvd Dr
  Homosassa, FL 34448

When you get there your first thought is, "OMG, what a hole!" 

So you move a little colser to see that your first thought was correct, it is a hole.  You still proceed through the plastic hanging doors only because your curiosity is getting the best of you. 

You look through this mess of a front entrance and it is like you just entered a new world!!  A tiki bar, a restaurant, and the smell of seafood that will leave your mouth watering.  Wow!!!

It's only Tuesday afternoon, this place is booming with business.  So you get in line and order your favorite or what most order, smoked mallet dip with crackers, clam chowder, 2.5 lbs of steamed shrimp and a cold one for two.  All under a 40 dollar bill.  You patiently wait for your order to arrive and when it does, you see the most wonderful and delicious looking shrimp that you have seen in a long time.

As Sondra and I wiped out the entire order we could not help but notice that we were actually in a very large freezer which was converted into a restaurant.  Great concept and why not, your on a water front that boats pull in for a meal or like us, you drive there.  Either way you will enjoy the flavors of awesome seafood.  So the next time someone says, "Don't judge a book by its cover."  Listen to them.

 

Another A+++ in the meal department!!!

Until next time, have a great day and a better tomorrow!!

Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park.  Crystal River, Florida

Crystal River is a city in Citrus County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,108 in the 2010 census.  The city was incorporated in 1903 and is the self professed "Home of the Manatee". Crystal River Preserve State Park is located nearby, and Crystal River Archaeological State Park is located in the city's northwest side. Crystal River is at the heart of the Nature Coast of Florida. The City is situated around the magnificent Kings Bay, which is spring-fed and so keeps a constant 72-degrees Fahrenheit temperature year round. 

                                                                                                                                                            Rock Crusher Canyon RV Park in Crystal River, Fl. where we are staying.  It is a very nice and quiet place to stay for our first month on the road.  We met a lot of people and really enjoyed the scenery of the area.  Being at this park allowed us to get acquainted with our 5er and learn some of the ins and outs of living with less.

While you go through your day here you always try to find ways of having "cheap fun".  We found "cheap fun" on Wednesday evenings at Applebee’s located at, 200 N Suncoast Blvd, Crystal River, FL 34429 called Beach Bum Trivia.  Our favorite waiter and waitress are Dave and Kristen.  These two always have a great attitude as well as a good knowledge of the many delicious foods that Applebee’s has to offer, if you catch Dave at a busy time as we did.  He may forget to tell you of the new drinks and have to give you two for free!  Yaaa!!!     On a serious note they are both well-rounded young adults who are working and doing the responsible thing that young adults should be doing.  They always greets us as if we were old friends and their smiles assures us we are going to be taken care of.  Ask Dave what he would suggest to eat and you will enjoy the same items we did on our first night there. 

                                                                                                                                                                    While we were there the first time, we heard a gentleman's voice.  Dave Conrad was asking if people wanted to be part of a trivia contest, better known as, Beach Bum Trivia.

http://baseballdj.com/

https://www.facebook.com/BeachBumTrivia 

We decided to stay and give it a try.  One question was, "What does the letters Ps and Qs represent as in, Mind your Ps and Qs mean?"  What we did not know was that we would have so much fun.  We actually won a few dollars towards our check next time in that restaurant.  It is a lot of fun, not too expensive, and it keeps your mind working overtime.  So be sure to look the two Dave's and Kristen up any Wednesday at 9pm at Apple-bee's in Crystal River, Fl.

EXTRA BONUS NOTE!!!!  While you are in Crystal River go just down the road a bit to Homosassa Springs and check out the Manatees, they are awesome!!!

Trivia answer - (Mind your pints and quarts.)

Until next time, have a great day and a better tomorrow!!

When Cold is too Cold...

We all did it once or twice.  It was a nice hot day and you did a few tasks to get through the day.  Still in the evening the temperature is sitting at about 75 a little muggy and you feel it is time to enjoy a drink.  So you decide on a favorite that you make oh so well.  Rum Runners!!!   I begin to prepare these wonderful drinks that will chill that warm feeling inside and cool you back to reality.  Just as I finished mixing the drinks with a straw.  What I did not see coming was the one inch hole that would pop threw the mason jar at the bottom and allow the counter and floor to enjoy that tasty treat too.  UGG!!! PARTY FOUL!!!  Oh no!!!  Who would have seen that one coming.  A mess before being able to chill with a chilly one.  So with the help of my love and I we were able to clean that area up in minutes and still be able to enjoy a cold one.  Thanks for the help cleaning sweets!!