Wednesday, January 01, 2014

It’s a Very Small World

 

Wesley Chapel, Florida  (high 72, low 63) Rain

I hope everyone had a nice New Years Eve.  We actually stayed awake past midnight, for the first time in a while.

We spent our New Years eve next door at Pat and Ron’s, and sat outside with several other couples and a few dogs.  We had two identical gas campfires going and it kept us nice and warm…..until the rain started.   There was a slight chance of rain last night and just as we all got settled around the campfire, it started to rain.  We all pulled out our phone apps and checked the radar which showed some patchy rain showers coming from the gulf.  It was kind of funny seeing all these phones coming out at the same time.  :)

We moved the chairs and fire pits under the awning and sat there for a few minutes until the rain stopped. We pulled out our weather apps again to see if any more rain was coming, so that we could move back out from under the awning, as it was a little crowded.  We took a chance and moved and no more rain fell on us the rest of the evening. It was chilly for us southerners, but the Canadians came in shorts.  

Several couples didn’t make it to the midnight hour, but 6 of us diehards actually stayed awake and brought in the new year.   Actually, the Canadians, and other northerners were the first to bail, leaving us southerners to hold down the fort!

 

In a blog post a few weeks ago I mentioned how Al noticed a tag axle Holiday Rambler with a Florida plate, come into the campground we were at and park right next door.  Al thought it could be an old friend of ours.   I dismissed that thinking there just might be more than one Holiday Rambler with Florida plates in the state.   I teased him about that for a few days, however, I was wrong and it did turn out to be our old friends, but we didn’t realize it until we were all leaving.  

So, now when Al tells me something like that I give him his due respect.  :)

 

So, yesterday, he noticed a Tiffin tag axle pull in which had a Louisiana plate and stuffed animals indicating they might be here for the Outback Bowl,  which is being played today at our stadium.

When we bought our motor home from Lazy Days Rv here in Tampa, we found out who the previous owner was and checked with him to make sure there were no surprised.  We have always done that whenever we’ve bought a used boat, rv, or car and it’s worked out well for us.  

We ended up speaking to the previous owner twice and we discovered the only thing they used the coach for was to go to LSU football games.  Al learned that they traded our coach in for a larger Tiffin tag axle and that they were big LSU fans.  

When Al told me he suspected those with the Louisiana plates and Tiffin tag axel, could be the people who previously owned our motor home, we decided to check it out.  I wasn’t going to doubt him again.  :)

They were gone most of the day, but last night we saw signs of life outside so we decided to walk over and introduce ourselves, and see if Al was right yet again.  I was a little afraid they would think we were nuts, but I figured that was okay, because they wouldn’t be here long anyway!

It turns our they were indeed the previous owners of our coach and remembered us too.   They had worried thinking this was our first RV and that we had made a decision to start full-timing without ever having owned an RV.  He also remembered how I got onto the phone with Al and asked questions on my own, and apparently I either came on too strong, or that is not how things are done in his family.  In our family, I figure it’s my money too, and I might think of a question that Al doesn’t think of, so we both like to be involved in the discussions.   I guess he thought I should have let the man ask the questions.  Oh well…….  

 

It just shows once again how small of a world this is.  What’s the chance these same people would end up in our campground with all the other campgrounds in this area.  What’s the chance Al would have spotted them and figured it out?

The coincidence didn’t end there though.  Last night during our fireside chat a Canadian couple mentioned they spent some time in the Keys last winter.   It turns our they were in “our” site number 160 right before we were and remembered all of our neighbors.   It’s a small world.  They didn’t like the Keys much but their criteria is more of who has a nice pool and ours is a little different.  No problem, more room for us.

 

I’m really starting to worry that Florida will sink into the ocean.  Our campground is just about full, and the few remaining sites are reserved for the next few months.  The owner says they are getting calls all day long wanting sites and there are a lot of them on a waiting list.   I wish I could find some statistics that would show the number of snowbirds coming to Florida.    I would think it would have to be at least a million, and of course that doesn’t even count the tourists that come for shorter periods of time.  Really, one of these winters Florida might just sink.   :)    Of course if it does, we’ll have ocean front property in Georgia.

 

It looks like we won’t be seeing any sun the next few days with rain predicted today and tomorrow.  I guess we’ll be lazy today, and I’m sure Al will watch some football. 

Happy New Year!

19 comments:

  1. Wow that's amazing, I'd trust Al too. I guess I'm glad for them to see that Quail Run is so popular but I can vouch for the tons of snowbirds and full timers in Florida. Just try to get a campsite at any state park. The reason may be that nowhere else in the country is warm this time of year unless it might be Desert Hot Springs California. The weather everywhere is absolutely horrid it seems.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yup, it's a rainy day up here too. Nice jammie day! Watching the Rose Parade in a bit :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Al is a wise, all knowing man. :cD

    Please don't let Florida sink, we've got lots of plans for trips there!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well, you'd better hurry, I feel it slipping.

    ReplyDelete
  5. It is such a small world. thats pretty good staying awake till midnight, but looks like ya'll had a great New Years eve.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It is a very small world. How cool.

    Wishing you two a very happy, healthy and safe New Year.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The world does keep getting smaller and smaller. I really wonder why he thought it was strange that you were asking questions. As long as the sink holes stay away I think you're probably okay. Have a really great 2014.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Happy New Year! I wouldn't mind our N GA property becoming beachfront if it didn't mean my S&B S GA property would be under water. HaHa.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Had to laugh, Karen, about the Canadians going to bed early. Something about cold dark north country puts folks in the habit of retiring pretty early in the evening. Even as far north as Oregon. I do hope you two will be around for our week in Fort Desoto. We plan to kayak as much as possible there and would love to meet you.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Happy New Year! I actually hope I run into the people who bought our Endeavor so I can explain some things for them regarding the TV set up and such but the dealer said they frown on such things, I told them if the new owners want to contact me I'm fine with it so don't worry I'll handle it, I doubt they'll give the info though.

    It's cool you were able to talk to the previous owners, too bad the guy was like he was but you guys got to discuss the rig which really helps out I think.

    I hope your new year is a great one and your travels are fun and safe!

    Erik

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have made some reservations for next November and December. Craig thinks I'm nuts, but better to have them than not. Reservations can always be cancelled for a nominal amount. I may not have chosen the right places, but thats part of the learning curve.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Kathy and I are wishing you a belated Happy New Year. We're feeling the Florida rain right now as well but tomorrow is our moving day. Maybe it'll slow down for a few hours. Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Karen, you are a riot !!!! Some guys just have the idea, it is a man's world ..... Where have they been ??? Just think of me, single and checking out the big purchases in life .... "let me talk to your husband " ..... It is a wild world too !!!!!
    Glad you were able to deal with the elements and bring in the New Year ..... Al is great at checking out the rest of the folks and their rigs ..... Good for you, Al !!!
    HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU BOTH !!!!! Hi BAXTER !!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Those small world occurrences are real shockers sometimes. Especially if it involves someone from your distant past.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I think it's great to talk with the previous owner. I would grin if we bumped into the owners of our old Brave.
    Syl

    ReplyDelete
  16. I would never question or tease Al- especially when it turns out he was right! Hehe! Glad you braved the damp cool weather last night! We were babysitting and going to bed early cause kids never sleep in! I agree we are beginning to sink- all these snowbirds! Hehe. How about lunch or something next week? Call me!

    ReplyDelete
  17. How cool that they ended up next to you! But "huff" on the guy thinking only a man should be asking the questions! (I had a huge list we went over item by item before we handed over our big fat check!)

    We are still in contact with the folks we bought our old Coachman MH from, and they are now in their 90's and love to hear about our travels...even if we sold off "their" rig to buy a bigger one years ago. Turns out when they were young honeymooners, they used to live in the same small town we live in now! As a matter of fact, just 5 doors down on the same street! So we still write back and forth, and they enjoy hearing about our camping trips.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Blog) RVing: The USA Is Our Big Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com
    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    ReplyDelete
  18. It is a small world. I guess we will not be moving back to quail run during our renovations.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great information, you have a wonderful blog and an excellent article. Without have account on instagram you can see more anything with site picbear

    ReplyDelete

Please feel free to leave comments. We love to read them! To contact me directly you can send e-mail to rvtravels2@yahoo.com