If today is the tenth, and I know it is; then we have been in Florida for 10 days. How could that be? It seems like we have just settled in. Time sure flies when you are with someone you love and really like, too. We can have meaningful conversations but also laugh a lot about life, love and even the unmentionable bodily functions. A day does not go by without at least one comment about that duck that followed us here from home. Quack, quack, quack down the supermarket aisle I go. Marilyn just shakes her head and pulls out in front with the cart leaving me in the fog behind her. Oh, how we love these Golden years where the valves that are supposed to be free flowing permit nothing but a dribble, and the ones that should remain securely closed, leak like a sieve. Did I mention the forgetfulness? I probably did because my ideas seem to come in triplicate to be shared, usually to the same person, all three times before they, read that she, says something like, “ That’s what you said 10 minutes ago!” But, you know what, if you can laugh about it like we do, life in the 70’s can certainly be a laugh a minute. We are the fodder for all those “old folks” jokes we used to think were so funny. Now, we are those “old folks jokes.”

Today started with the dumping of the waste water tanks. It really isn’t as bad as it sounds. We are hooked up to sewer for the stay, so it is just a matter of opening some valves under the camper. We have two gray tanks that hold the “gray” water from the kitchen sink and the bathroom shower and lavatory. The stool dumps into the black tank. This “black water” has its own tank because it is especially disgusting. I knew the shower tank was full because as I took my morning shower, I found myself standing in 4 feet of water. Yes, that is a slight exaggeration but it does a better job of getting the point across. I had questioned the point of having two gray tanks but after some thought, I saw the advantage. If all the sinks and shower were on the same tank, one could overflow the shower drain without knowing it by dumping water into the kitchen sink to where the combined tank would slowly back up. The backup is determined by the height of the fixture. If the tank level rose just 12 inches above full, it would spill out into the shower without reaching the height of the kitchen sink tub. Now, you can’t say this posting is worthless because you have now learned about the chores of camping, the physics of rising water and a little about the plumbing system. You might ask why I don’t just leave the valves open to the outside drain so any water emptied into the drain will immediately drain into the sewer connection. There is a reason. If you let the stool drain immediately, all the liquid would drain too quickly and the solids would accumulate in the tank getting more solid each day. Getting the tank to drain completely requires the solids to diffuse into the liquids making it easy to dump. The reason I don’t let the gray water  drain immediately is that it is needed to flush out the drain line after dumping the black. I know, TMI; enough “talking shit”!

After all the morning chores, we headed out to explore a new destination out to the coast. This is the Florida Nature Coast. It isn’t the pristine beaches with white sand. It is rocky where sedentary formation mixes with shells from the crustaceans and forms rock formations that then erode and form a jagged shoreline. It is a different form of beauty; we love it. There are also more swampy areas and tide pool areas between palm trees, moss covered live oaks and mango trees. I’m thinking that some of the shore birds have moved a bit further south but we did find blue herons, egrets, white pelicans and other assorted feathered friends. I even saw a couple King Fishers beside the pools.  We will definitely go back there with the proper cameras for the bird shots.

We are now enjoying the comfort of the camper as I jot down these notes to share with all of you. I’ll add in a few pictures from my phone before I post. Lyn and I talked about sharing pictures and thoughts on this website. Some people take photographs to exemplify their photography abilities. I have to admit I have done that on occasion, but these travel pictures are more about sharing our adventures with those who are unable to do what we are doing but get joy out of tagging along vicariously. As I age, I realize just how lucky we are and I have found great joy in this sharing. May you all share in our joy as we offer this bit of our lives for you to follow.  Lx2 = Love and Light!