Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Big Changes

 

I started this post about two weeks ago while we were up in our lot in Georgia. I’ve been trying to get it finished ever since. 

 

It’s hard to know where to begin. I haven’t written a blog for so long. Until recently, there was nothing to write about.  Some things haven’t changed.  We are still helping to care for my mom.  She is still in her own home with caregivers 7 hours a day, paid for by her LTC insurance policy.  My brother, Al and I are staying with her the rest of the time.

We are trying to find a live in caregiver that will care for her about 15-20 hours a week in exchange for free room and board.   Our friend Cindi who was going to do it, has had some major health issues so that didn’t work out. If we can find the right person, it will allow us to be able to leave town on a more regular basis.

We managed to get away from the stifling heat of Tampa and spend 2 weeks up in the north Georgia mountains on our lot at Rivers Edge.

 

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We didn’t have the time for much fun, but Al did manage to get in some fishing and tubing.  You’ll understand why we didn’t have much time to play, when I tell you what else we have been doing. 

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Our Florida friends, Heidi and Suzanne (in the above picture) visited Blairsville last fall with the intention of buying some property and a cabin. We found them a RV lot  to rent at Rivers Edge where we own our lot.  They fell in love with the area, the rv park, and in the 2 weeks they were there,  bought a lot on the river and made plans to upgrade the lot with a lovely cabin (She-Shed) concrete drive, and deck.   As it turned out, their She-Shed came in very handy for us.   Smile

Heidi, Suzanne and Al tubing

 

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We took some golf cart rides and some scenic drives.  You notice Al with a dog on his lap?  That is Cindy.  She is a rescue that was brought to the animal hospital nearly dead,  by owners who couldn’t be bothered to care for her.  After weeks of intensive veterinary care, she improved enough to be released.  Heidi decided she needed a good home and she has certainly won the doggie lottery with Suzanne and Heidi.     Oh, and guess who got poison ivy?  

 

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Our plan for going to Blairsville was to purchase a Fifth Wheel that we could leave on our lot.  We had done some looking in person and on line and we had decided what we wanted.

We decided that when we get to travel we will be happier in something smaller than a big class A motorhome.  Since we have  RV lots in the Keys and in the mountains, and we love both places, we know we will spend a lot of time on our lots.  Our plans for the future are evolving, but we now think we will put something permanent on both lots and travel in something smaller.  We’ve looked at a few Class B motorhomes.  Heidi and Suzanne just purchased a new Road Trek Popular Class B, which they love. It’s surprisingly roomy, but I think we need a little more room.  We think we would be happy in a B+ with a couple of slides.  We couldn’t live in something so small, but I think we could travel extensively in one and the B+ with slides have quite a bit of space.  A class B would be for the future when we are free to travel.

When we headed up to Blairsville, we left the motorhome here in Florida with the  intention to stay a few nights in a hotel and a few nights in our cabin.  The cabin on our RV lot is pretty comfortable, but has no bathroom facilities.  We figured, we would use the campground bathrooms. Luckily, Heidi and Suzanne were nice enough to offer the use of their She-Shed while we searched for a Fifth Wheel.   

We had done some Fifth Wheel shopping on line and in person, and found what we were looking for.

It was delivered and set up just a few days before we had to head back to Tampa.   Sad smile

It’s a 35 foot Carriage Cameo.

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We got to spend two nights in our new home, but then had to leave and get back to Florida.

So, now that we’re back in Florida, we are working on ways to get back up to the mountains, hopefully for September and October. 

Stay tuned……

16 comments:

  1. Love the looks of your fifth wheel. We found that we like living in a fifth wheel more than a motorhome. Just really like the openness with the high ceiling. We also love traveling with our little 23' travel trailer. Leaving the fifth wheel in AZ was a smart move for us. I could easily travel in a Class B+ but Jim needs a truck for towing and launching his boats. So the little trailer works for us. Sure hope you find somebody to help with your Mom.

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  2. Your 5th wheel looks lovely, yes you have been busy. We had a class B for 7 years then a 23ft class C for 3 now we love our 36 ft class A, been living in it now for 10 years, No telling what the future holds for us but we still love to keep moving around.
    Hopefully things works out well for you.

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  3. I really like the interior colors of your new fifth wheel. Looks like they must have been picked out by a woman designer for a change! ;c)

    Life does evolve and change is often necessary, I think you made a great choice and it will pay off in the long run and help you enjoy traveling more.

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  4. Good to hear from you - lots of changes and they all look good to me! Love the 5th wheel. Having homes on each property site is such a good idea, it will make things easier since you travel back and forth each year.

    I hope you find someone good to care for your mom during the times needed. You have a lot on your plate, but slowly things are getting in order for you. 😊

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  5. Good to hear from you again. Hadn't seen you anywhere in a long time. The 5th wheel looks very nice. Very homey. Someone seems to have taken very good care of it. What year is it? Having to share care of your mother for 17 hours a day with your brother must be very stressful. You three are wonderful "children". Will you leave the motor home at Quail Run or stay somewhere else in the Tampa area while you care for your mom?

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  6. Wow, you have been busy! Your new 5th wheel looks like a nice new home for you both. I am sure it will be nice not to have to drive something big back and forth between Florida and Georgia any more. The drive will be much more leisurely.

    Hope you are able to find someone who can take on the live-in caregiver opportunity. It will be nice to have a little more time of your own and put you at ease knowing that someone will be with your mother.

    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

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  7. Hope you can find someone soon as a Caregiver for your mom.
    Congratulations on your new purchase and we hope the second part of your plan comes together as easily. Baxter seems very content with the move.
    Sounds like someone is going to have to get wrapped in a bubble to avoid that nasty mountain Poison Ivy.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  8. For a couple years now we had been telling my father-in-law he should have a "roommate." And that he should stop driving. This past winter the stars aligned. He "bumped" our local state trooper's personal car doing no damage to either vehicle but it shook him up enough to stop driving--very good news as the man can't see. Then, a retired nurse who delivered the meals on wheels for the local senior center offered to be Nat's driver--that's good. Then, the best thing is she needed a new place to live and Nat, on his own, offered her half his house. The stars aligned. Here's hoping you find a caretaker for your Mom--it does bring such peace of mind!

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  9. Your fifth wheel is beautiful. I like the openness of it.

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  10. Love the fifth wheel, it was well taken care of! Good idea, especially with having to go back and forth from GA to FL. I feel your pain with caring for your mom. We're still not sure if my Mom is going to do well on her own. We were hoping to go to CA and work nearby for the fall/winter, but can't find a job :( Not sure what our plans will be yet.

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  11. Nice to hear from you again. Congratulations on the fifth wheel purchase. Sorry you couldn't stay awhile to enjoy the new toy.

    My prayers are with you and the family as you care for your Mom. I know the dedication it takes and how difficult it can be, having done the same thing for my Mom for two years.

    Take care

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  12. Thanks so much for writing an update. It sounds like you have made some good decisions. I love your new fifth wheel. It looks very nice. Hopefully you will be able to return again soon.

    I'm so sorry the caregiver didn't work out. Take care. we will keep you in our thoughts and prayers.

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  13. Good to hear from you. Glad the changes were not in regard to Mom! Those 5th wheels sure do have a LOT of room. We love our Dynamax 26 footer for our travels. Small enough to get in most places and yet roomy enough to be comfortable with a nice slide. It has served us well for almost 9 years now. Three months we the longest out for us. You will enjoy the convenience of a smaller rig for travel, I am sure.

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  14. Love your new 5th wheel!!! I think your plan makes perfect sense. Mike and I have talked about something similar ourselves.
    Hope you find the help you need for your mom.

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  15. Karen, glad to see your post and to hear about the Big Changes. We all know or should know that changes are an integral part of life.

    I have experienced moments of guilt about not updating my blog at least every few days but with time I have come to live with my decision to only post if I have something of interest to write about. Otherwise,writing the blog was beginning to become like job. I have found that life goes on, even if I don't update the blog!

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