We find that a day out running around or playing, balanced out by a day at home, seems to work best, when we can do it. After our day of kayaking Tuesday, we spent Wednesday here at the Orlando Thousand Trails preserve.
In mid-morning, our friends Dave and Jean Damon came by to say hello, and to welcome us to this area. We first met Dave and Jean when we were vending at an FMCA RV rally in Ohio a while back, and hit it off well with them.
They sell 303 Protectant products, and Jean is also an excellent masseuse, whose services are in great demand everywhere they go. A couple of years ago, Jean gave me a massage after our Gypsy Gathering rally in Celina, Ohio, and by the time she was done kneading and working on me, I was so relaxed that I could hardly walk back to our motorhome!
Dave and Jean spend a lot of time in this area, so they were able to fill us in on some good places to eat and shop, and because Dave is the kind of guy who doesn’t pull any punches, he also told us about a couple of places to avoid.
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While Dave and Jean were here, Terry happened to look outside and spotted a gopher tortoise. We have seen a lot of these critters over the years, and I am always amazed at how fast they can move when they want to.
Gopher tortoises have been around for over 60 million years, making them one of the oldest living species known to man. They live in underground burrows that average 30 feet long, and can go down as deep as 20 feet. Can you see the dirt this guy is throwing up as he heads underground?
It’s burrow is right next to our RV site, and we’re happy to have it as a neighbor. It’s a lot better than a yappy little dog!
Terry spent much of the day catching up on paperwork, while I pretty much goofed off. I had several e-mails to answer from readers wanting more information on the PaddleSki inflatable kayak that I wrote about in yesterday’s blog, and also several from folks asking about our upcoming Arizona Gypsy Gathering rally. I don’t have the rally schedule ready to post yet, there is still a lot of finalizing to do, but I guarantee you that we will have some great seminars to meet every interest!
During the afternoon, I went over to the Activity Center here at the campground and dropped off a bundle of sample issues of the Gypsy Journal, then drove down to the campground’s dock and boat launch to check things out. I arrived just in time to see a fellow coming off the water in a very nice paddle-drive Hobie fishing kayak. He showed me a couple of nice bass he had kept for dinner, and told me that during his last hour on the water, they were hitting on about every fourth cast he made.
The other day I wrote about discounts that businesses are offering veterans in honor of Veterans Day. The RV Business website reports that Carefree RV Resorts has announced a new veterans discount program. The company is offering veterans a year round 50% nightly discount, on a space available basis, at 35 RV parks in Florida, Texas, New Jersey, North Carolina and California. Check it out, you might save some money on a very nice RV site for a few days.
Bad Nick was busy yesterday posting a new Bad Nick Blog titled Like A Bad Rash. Check it out and leave a comment.
Thought For The Day – Who says nothing is impossible? I’ve been doing nothing for years.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Thanks for letting us know about the veterans discount program from Carefree Resorts. We might just be able to take advantage of that one!
It’s Veterans Day – Thanks Nick
We have stayed at Thousand Trails Orlando before. Make sure you walk their trail, Nick – it’s a nice little hike.
We also just took advantage of the Carefree Veteran’s Discount you describe — at Treetops RV Resort in Arlington, Texas. It was a very nice park, central to everything in the area, and the people were exceptionally friendly and helpful and appreciative of veterans. We highly recommend them! And if you’re not a veteran, they give the 50% Passport America member discount as well.
From two veterans to all the veterans out there – Thank You for your service! And thanks to all those businesses that not only say they honor veterans, but put their money where their mouth is and show it. It’s really appreciated. Just an FYI – Subway is offering a free 6″ sub to veterans today as well. Our subs were great and it was a very nice gesture by the franchise and its workers. 🙂