Trying to Settle In -- Home in Florida

We have been home for eight days, and for the most part, we are settled back in...but there is a BIG HOLE still in our lives, in our hearts...

One thing we love is the Florida Gas Prices compared to the California Gas Prices.  I have a 14 gallon tank in the HHR, and I put nearly 13 gallons in at Sam's Club Friday.

Back in late November, I put just over 13 gallons in, and it cost me $45.50!  That's $15 more in taxes in California than in Florida!  THAT'S a bunch!!!  On top of that, Florida's highways are in much better shape than California's highways...makes you wonder doesn't it???

It took us a week, but we finally made it to Mama Maria's.  To top off the treat of eating at Mama's, we met Marcia's granddaughter and great-granddaughter there.  No pics, they don't want pictures of the nearly 4 year old out on the Internet...all I can tell you is that she is growing up, and is as cute as could be.  

Next week is Marcia's first Doctor's Appointment of the new year.  Today we went to get blood work done, and we were back home within the hour.  Sometimes it has taken us over an hour just to get the blood taken once we walked in the door!

 

Bubba is sure adjusting well without Skruffy.  We turned in the notification to the Condo Board about Skruffy's death, and Bubba being the new service dog.  We are going to look for a younger dog to fulfill this need, probably start looking in March.  He reminds us when he gets his "Arny and Sandy" treats...sometimes this 16+ year old acts like a kid.

It has been 2 1/2 weeks since we lost her..the hole in our heart is a bit smaller...I have not had any more dreams of her, but we both miss her so much.  

All of these pictures of her were taken back in 2012, except the one below which was taken a few years while we were headed to, or already in, Alaska.  This one above was taken at a westbound rest area in Texas along I-10 between San Antonio and Van Horn.  It was a very windy day, and she let me put her securely up on this tree limb, and you can see by her face just how windy it was.  When we drove along the same highway but eastbound, I looked over at that same rest area, I think the same tree...there are going to be many, many memories like this as we travel.  Happy memories, which help fill that empty hole...

Now when we drive, we just figure that Skruffy is there with us as our "co-pilot"...sitting on my dad's lap.  We love and miss you both.

Lunch with fellow Bloggers

At home in Holiday / Tarpon Springs area

If you travel and Blog, you will eventually run into fellow bloggers.  This is our third or fourth meet up with Tony and Karen of Rolling in an RV - Wheelchair Traveling.  I knew they were in Florida, and hoped they might make it our way.  But the other day I noticed they had already headed up the east coast from Orlando where they had date with a mouse and his many friends.  So I commented to Karen, and she commented and emailed back that they were actually in Miami, and would be passing through our area on Tuesday.  Well, we had a dinner date for Tuesday, and Wednesday lunch worked for them too…and Karen wanted to try our favorite Greek restaurant, the Original Mama Maria’s.  Suggested that they try one of their Greek Combo Platters, and I think they liked it.  Also had them try the Avgolemono Soup since neither of them had ever had it before…well, together they finished a cup of the soup.  Avgolemono is also known as Lemon Rice Soup, typically made from chicken broth, eggs and lemon juice, with chicken and rice or orzo.  Not on our low-carb diet, we had to pass…again…oh that is so hard to do!  Nearly 3 hours later, we were saying goodbye, and they were taking leftovers for dinner for later where they stop somewhere along US 19 tonight as they head on.

I know I have done it before, but I just HAVE to give Karen’s blog a big plug.  YES, it is focused on living in a RV, traveling, while being confined to a Wheelchair.  However, the many maps and resources she has compiled and offers free on her blog are outstanding.  I remember way back when, some six or seven years ago, making a comment to Karen either through email, or as a comment on her blog, about how impressed I am, as a Librarian, to the amount or resources she has compiled…and all I can say is that years later, it is even better!  From places to camp for free or close to free, to small, out-of-the way county museums, points of interest, to festivals large and small, and much, much more.  Headed to Wyoming, just click on her Wyoming map, look for the areas you are headed, and she will have something to see, do or place to stay for you.  They have been traveling for 25 years now…she has been in a wheelchair for over 24 of those years…and her website will tell you how it all happened.

Have continued safe travels friends…see you along the road again soon, somewhere…. (sorry the picture did not turn out very well…I have not used the camera for awhile now, and did not have it on auto setting, so it got washed out real bad…thank goodness for Photoshop I was able to clean it up a bit.)

Meanwhile…we completed another doctor appointment today for Marcia, one more to go along with some tests in March.  Marcia ordered a new pair of glasses to help her while at the computer too.  I still need to fix the small leak I talked about last time, on my to do list for next week.  Six weeks today and we are back on the road ourselves.

Loss of a Tarpon Springs Icon

Home in Holiday-Tarpon Springs, Florida

We have written about our FAVORITE Greek Restaurant, The Original Mama Maria’s, many times.  Maria Koursiotis opened Mama Maria’s around 1978 after her husband, John “Sfeeka” Koursiotis, died during a dive for sponges.  Every time we went to Mama’s, there she was in the kitchen doing something…her head barely able to be seen over the counter top.  Lunch, Dinner, it did not matter…there she was.  Last night we met our friend and relative Ginger at Mama Maria’s, had another great dinner, and yet Mama was not there.  Asked her son Costa as we were leaving how Mama was doing…found out she had passed away while we were gone.  Sad thing to learn….

Ginger was married to Marcia’s cousin, who passed away a little over a year ago.  Ginger has gone through a lot dealing with his cancer sickness, and his death, and dealing with so much stuff that comes with that.  However, Ginger is doing great, and that was so nice to see.  We got there at 5, got home at 8…it is only 10 minutes away…so you can see we all had a very enjoyable meal, and conversation.

Earlier in the day we met Cousin Mary at the Cosmos Family Restaurant which we ate at the night we got home.  When we left last April this restaurant was called “The Blue Oyster”, and we were disappointed in it…glad it changed owner and name upon our return.  We are very pleased with Cosmos, better food, better service, better atmosphere, a bit less expensive.  This is a true family business…run by the father, the mother, and the 25 year old son.  The servers are more friendly…as is the owner.  What we also like a lot is that this restaurant is just around the corner from us!

Marcia had her first doctor’s appointment earlier this week…and of course, there was the dreaded “Step up on the scale” moment.  Well, we are happy to report that Marcia lost 47 pounds since she last stepped on this same scale back in December of 2016.  The doctor was very happy…and Marcia was elated…as am I because for the past 10 months or so all I heard is, “You are losing weight on this diet, but I am not losing @#$&.  Well, now she believes me ….

Easter Time

Easter is always a special time for us…which is why we like to try and stay in town through Easter each year.  With it being so late in the year this time we almost did not stay this year, but glad we did.  It essentially started for us on Thursday.  My last post talked about having breakfast with Cousin Mary…but that night we had dinner at Mama Maria’s, our favorite Greek Restaurant, with another cousin of sorts, Ginger.  It has been nice for me to get to know Ginger better this winter…her husband, who is a cousin of Marcia’s, passed away in November from cancer.  We felt blessed to make it home to see him before he passed…and we have had dinner with Ginger a number of times this winter.  Anyway, at Mama’s the waitress Marie, Greek Orthodox as is Ginger and as was Marcia, talked about how she is sick and tired of eating beans.  You see, for 40 days the Greek Orthodox observe a very strict fast…many call it the “Great Fast”, because it last so long.  Here is a quick breakdown of the fast as found on the Internet:

Week before Lent ("Cheesefare Week"): Meat and other animal products are prohibited, but eggs and dairy products are permitted, even on Wednesday and Friday.
First Week of Lent: Only two full meals are eaten during the first five days, on Wednesday and Friday after the Presanctified Liturgy. Nothing is eaten from Monday morning until Wednesday evening, the longest time without food in the Church year. (Few laymen keep these rules in their fullness). For the Wednesday and Friday meals, as for all weekdays in Lent, meat and animal products, fish, dairy products, wine and oil are avoided. On Saturday of the first week, the usual rule for Lenten Saturdays begins (see below).
Weekdays in the Second through Sixth Weeks: The strict fasting rule is kept every day: avoidance of meat, meat products, fish, eggs, dairy, wine and oil.
Saturdays and Sundays in the Second through Sixth Weeks: Wine and oil are permitted; otherwise the strict fasting rule is kept.
Holy Week: The Thursday evening meal is ideally the last meal taken until Pascha. At this meal, wine and oil are permitted. The Fast of Great and Holy Friday is the strictest fast day of the year: even those who have not kept a strict Lenten fast are strongly urged not to eat on this day. After St. Basil's Liturgy on Holy Saturday, a little wine and fruit may be taken for sustenance. The fast is sometimes broken on Saturday night after Resurrection Matins, or, at the latest, after the Divine Liturgy on Pascha.

 
The restaurant was pretty quiet, and Marie (Waitress) had a good moment to converse with us.  Oh she was just DYING for a steak, and she said that at 12:01 am Sunday morning she was going to cook herself the biggest steak.  “I told my ma to get me the biggest steak at Sam’s Club, nothing else…just the Steak.  I am going to cook it myself because if I let her cook it, it would be too well done.”  She also talked about when she was a young child how she had a pet lamb for a week…she loved the little lamb…which mysteriously disappeared over Easter Weekend.  “Must have got loose and ran away” her parents said.  Marie said it wasn’t until many years later that she realized that the lamb did not run away…  We all had an enjoyable chat with Marie, and about the lent, and at 7:30 when we left, we were about the only ones in there at that point. 
 

 

During the rest of the weekend we were busy getting things ready for the trip.  On Friday we attended a great Good Friday church service, and on Sunday, of course, we went to the Easter Service.  The church was packed!  And granddaughter Allisa, who came to visit us a little over a week ago, drove over from east Tampa area just to say goodbye.  After church we got Bubba, drove the motorhome over to the RV park nearby us, and then got dinner ready.  Kind of a tradition for us to have lamb chops for Easter.  Marcia’s son John, who we had lunch with on Saturday, was invited over for lamb chops which, unfortunately, some needed about 2-3 more minutes on the grill.  Oh well, you can always add fire, you can’t take it away if you over cook them. 

 

Monday we head out…staying at a Cracker Barrel or a rest area the first night.  Still lots to do to get ready…

Church, Vet and Mama Maria’s

Our two favorite missionaries are home for the Christmas Season from Kenya.  Randy leaves next week, so this past Wednesday our Pastor turned the service over to them to let everyone know about their experiences in Kenya.  They have an amazing story which for the most part follows the story “Teach a man to fish….”  In this case, they have taught a group of men who use to be the town “Drunkards” into the community “Chicken Growers”.  They have enough chickens that they produce about 1,400 eggs a day, which they sell.  They use the money to fund their chicken buisness, and to help the people in the community.  Next, they hope to re-start the coffee growing buisness, with high interest from the area’s land owners.  Here is their website which I help update from time to time, even when we are on the road.  Her laptop went out on her, so I have been working on putting a new Windows 10 laptop together for them which I gave them on Wednesday…lessons to follow because Kari will be here another month.

Each year while we are home in Florida we take the doggies to the Vet for annual shots and checkups.   Good news, Skruffy has dropped a half of a pound, (I was hoping for a full pound), and Bubba is within two tenths of a pound from last time, (that boy can eat anything and never gain weight).  The bad news, the vet “thinks” she is starting to hear a heart murmer in Bubba.  We are going to give it another year to see what she thinks next time.  Bubba is eleven years old, and is showing no outside signs of any problems. 

Bubba just does not like the Vet or the Groomer.  Both places cause him much panic and pain.  He really is a bit wimpy when it comes to getting his nails cut, getting shots, and the worse thing, having a stick stuck up his um-mm, rear end.  Here he is AFTER the stick thing…he was just panting and panting.  At least he doesn’t pee all over the office like he use to do.

It took us awhile, but we finally made it back to Mama Maria’s Greek Cuisine in Tarpon Springs (on Alt 19 highway, not in the sponge docks, that’s not the same Mama’s).  As we are eating I remark, “Why is it that we cannot find good Greek food while we are traveling?”  No place makes the Avgolemono Soup like Mama’s does.  Had two places that were close…which means they were an 8 while Mama’s is a 10.  Most places the Avgolemono Soup is more like a 4 or 5.  Avgolemono Soup is basically an Egg Lemon Chicken soup.  Most places it tastes like watered down egg with small bits of chicken and very little lemon…   Of course, at Mama Maria’s there is a whole range of items on their menu, and 3-5 specials each day too. 

And of course, there is always Mama looking over the kitchen operation.  Mama lives close to the restaurant, walks back and forth twice a day, and this remarkable lady is in her mid-80’s.  Both of her sons help, one in the afternoon, the other at night, and some of her grandkids work there too.

Until next time….

Not much going on

Marcia and I went to our favorite Greek restaurant tonight, Mama Maria’s in Tarpon Springs.  Ran into our real estate lady, Sarah, her husband Denise, their daughter Colleen and her son Joaquin.  Sarah is a faithful blog reader, and reminded me that I had not posted a blog lately….so here it is.

Found this picture on the web of Mama Maria and her son Michael (Makis in Greek ).  Both were there tonight, as busy as could be because they had a funeral dinner, known as a Makaria,  being held there…..a group of twenty turned into a group of sixty….as Michael said to me, “The Greeks sometimes don’t plan too well.”  Marcia says, “They just don’t know how to count.”  Not sure who died, most of the people were from out-of-town, heard a lot of “That was some good food” remarks from those in attendance.

  

Installed two toilets in the Condo since my last post.  The ones we had were very low, about 14” in height, which is very hard for Marcia to get up off of.  These ones are 17.5” high, which really makes a difference.  Replacing toilets is never a fun job, but it went just fine.  The one on the left is in our “guest” bathroom, while the one on the right is in our cramped shower/head room attached to our long sink area leading from the bedroom.  

Had a few things to order from Amazon, items we routinely order, but to get the “good price” and quantities, you have to be a Amazon Prime member….so after putting it off and putting it off, we are now Prime Members, and since Prime members can read some free books, and view some free movies, etc., I just had to order a Kindle Fire HDX…for each of us.   Somehow Marcia thought I was just getting one, and after I placed the order she said, “Well, you will probably be using it more than me….”, and was very surprised when I told her I ordered two of them.  Since we are not I-phone or Drone phone users, the Kindle Fire will provide us some of that which we are missing.  Also I have been archiving our pictures with Amazon through the Prime Membership too....unlimited number of photos, and up to 5 gigs for other things as part of our membership....it just takes forever to load them all....and I have to have free WiFi or it will eat up our aircard limit real quick.

   

Also ordered two sets of these Frostfire Solar Ice Rocks - Path and garden solar lights which were highly recommended by a few of the blogs which I follow.  This will help to light up the pathway from the car to the motorhome when we are parked, and since they are solar powered and no connecting wires, and they take up very little space in the storage bin.  

Gave Skruffy a hair cut yesterday, and Bubba will get his real soon.  They have been to the Vet, and the vet said that Skruffy needed to loose a little (who doesn’t), and took her by another vet where I get her licensed (different county than Bubba) and she already lost a pound….three more to go.

   

We also saw a couple of movies.  We saw Hobbit 3 with Alissa (Marcia’s granddaughter) and on Tuesday we saw Unbroken with Skruffy….her second movie.  We enjoyed both movies, and the story line of Unbroken is remarkable.

Other than a few doctor’s visits, and ordering new glasses….stuff we do each winter for Marcia while we are here, we are generally getting prepared for a April 1st launch to head west.  Plans hopefully include a visit to my oldest brother Jim and his wife Carol in San Antonio (if they are there and don’t have plans already), our friend Joyce and her daughter Laurie in the Phoenix area, a trip to Yuma so that I can get glasses south of the boarder, and eventually up to Sacramento in time for mom’s birthday (we hope).  Son graduates from Cal Berkeley in mid-May and then off to the north.

I’m thinking that between now and April we will take another trip to the east coast to visit Dean and Carol again, and one or two or three state parks or RV parks just to get away.