Florida Friends

[This entry covers March 27-April 1]

We arrived at Cummins Power South (powersouth.cummins.com) in Ocala on Sun. afternoon and got ourselves situated in one of the 10 sites they have on property specifically designed for overnight stays. All sites have 50 amp electric and water hookups with 4 of the spots located on the asphalt parking lot while the other 6 were located on the other side of the fence in a beautiful park-like setting measuring about 3 acres. Of course we chose a site on the grass at the far end and were even able to let the dogs off leash to explore during their walks. We had an 8am appointment for Mon. so this was the ideal location to spend the night.

Our friends, Dick and Beth, have a home near Ocala so while the generator was being repaired we loaded the dogs in the car and spent the next few hours at their house. Initially we had been under the impression that the generator would be finished by end of day and planned to move the RV to their house the next morning to spend a few days visiting since they have ½ an acre. But you know what they say about the best laid plans….

As it turned out the bolts that had sheared off in the fan were not easily retrievable from the rotor, and new parts had to be ordered which meant another night in the Cummins lot and a bigger expense. The next day while they completed the work, we once again spent the day with Beth and Dick leaving the doggies at their place while Beth and I did some shopping and ate lunch at Panera Bread. In the meantime Russ and Dick met up with some of Dick’s friends at the nearby airfield (where Dick loves to go and help out nearly everyday) and lunched at a place called Cal’s. That evening Dick roasted a chicken, and we enjoyed a wonderful meal with our friends before heading back to the RV.

The work was finally complete the next morning, and the manager informed us that our extended warranty would actually cover all the expenses minus our deductible. However, we needed to pay the full amount up front and then be reimbursed by our warranty provider. Oh, well, it could have been worse. With everything now working properly, we moved the RV to Dick and Beth’s house, and set up camp. They offered that we could plug into an outlet in their garage which was a huge help giving us at least a minimal amount of electricity to run a couple necessary items. We teased that they need to have 50 amp service installed before we return at the end of the year.

That evening we joined them for the weekly all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner held at the local VFW Hall complete with salad bar, garlic bread, and lemonade or ice tea all for only $5.75! They go every week and since the place generally gets packed, a table is reserved for them and 3 other couples. One of the couples, Sandy and Diana, live nearby at The Villages (http://www.thevillages.com/) and invited us all back to their place. You may have seen commercials for The Villages (“Florida’s Friendliest Hometown”), a master-planned active adult retirement community offering a ton of classes, clubs, and amenities. To give you an idea as to its size, there are 38 golf courses at The Villages! At the heart of the community are two town squares, each with their own themed architecture (with a third one under construction), and each featuring a huge assortment of shops, restaurants, a movie theater, and free nightly entertainment in the town square. This is where we headed after dinner, and even with the overcast skies and sprinkling of rain, the crowd was ready to dance! Afterwards we returned to Sandy and Diana’s and enjoyed getting better acquainted.

Our friends, Alex and Susie, have a place about an hour north of Dick and Beth’s, and since we had all initially met in the Florida Keys a couple years ago, plans had been made for Alex and Susie to drive down for a visit on Thurs. After the initial greetings and chit-chat, we headed to 110th Street Grille (110thStreetGrille) for a yummy late lunch. From there we returned to the house to visit awhile longer, and the subject of came up that the surround sound speakers weren’t working. Alex, being an electronic technician, offered to have a look at it, and after several hours (and some humorous moments), he got them working again. So fun to see them and spend some time together.

The next morning I drove back down to the Orlando area for a scheduled doctor appointment, and the plan was for us to hit the road as soon as I returned, but that plan got delayed by about an hour. On my way home there was a huge accident not far in front of me just about 4 miles from their house, and I was stuck on the road. As I stood outside watching and waiting, I sent up prayers for the injured and was thankful I had not been a few minutes earlier. A medevac helicopter arrived, and when we finally were able to move after it took off (they required us to make a u-turn and go back the other way), I saw a stretcher on the side of the road with a white sheet covering a body. Not sure how many people were injured but there were several ambulances, fire trucks, and police for the three cars involved. After finding my way back to Beth’s house by a different route, we hooked up the car and prepared to hit the road. The delay meant we wouldn’t get as far as we had hoped that night, but we at least made it to the Wal-Mart in Valdosta, GA. We're extremely grateful to Beth and Dick for opening up their home (and yard) and being such wonderfully gracious hosts.