Since our travels have been put on hold there is much less to provide in the way of updates on where we are, where we are going, and what we have experienced. That doesn’t mean things aren’t happening, they are just more focused on Jill’s recovery. More on that in the next post but in the mean time, thought I’d share on some of the more interesting observations we’ve made and experienced on the trip so far. Most are on the amusing side, which we could use right now.
First off, as we travel we won’t always be in big cities with a choice of grocery shopping destinations. We may have to rely on the one small store in the town we are near. That happened in Carrabelle where we visited the local IGA (Independent Grocer Association) store. We could find what we needed but also some odd items were noticed along the way. We’d never heard of them before but we found Pinot Beans (not only had we not heard of them, but we also discovered they are Essential!). And who knew that bed bugs could be eliminated so easily – just Spray Way!
Pinot Noir or Grigio Beans? 
Who knew it was this easy to get rid of them?
As we traveled farther into Florida, we eventually arrived at our current campsite in Navarre, Florida. Located right on Santa Rosa Sound with Navarre Beach just across the way, you’d think we had found such an idyllic, peaceful place to enjoy sea breezes and the sounds of seabirds overhead. What we didn’t realize was that we were camped very close to the Air Force Special Operations Command Center at Eglin Air Force base and that they liked to “test” their ordinance and weapons most evenings. What sounded like closing car doors and very large fireworks were actually live rounds being fired across the sound by AC-130’s and other aircraft.
Nightly sound machine! 
Well, I guess we were warned…
You also meet interesting characters along the way. 99% of the people we have met have been friendly, welcoming and just all around good people. There have been just a few who have made us scratch our head. One such individual was spotted out on the beach of Okaloosa Island one cold, foggy day. He wasn’t very interested in other people but did seem intent on making friends with the local bird population as you will see by this picture.
When Jill was first hospitalized, she was put on a trauma floor where they were used to handling injuries such as the one Jill had sustained. She was in a lot of pain and not able to do anything for herself. A friend of hers recommended placing a bucket of chocolate candy in her room which was for anyone who came in to check on her. This way, folks were incentivized to check in on her and have a few chocolates at the same time. Sounded like a really great plan. Unfortunately, the weekend shift of nurses felt it made more sense to move the chocolate out to their station – that way they could have all the chocolate they wanted without checking in on Jill! Our friend took care of that when she visited and we later informed the head nurse of the floor that her staff seemed more interested in the chocolate than Jill 🙁
When Jill moved from the hospital to an inpatient rehab center, they ended up putting her in a “bariatric” room (room for big folks). This mean that everything in her room was super sized. She had a really big wheelchair (she got that swapped out), she had a chair that looked more like a loveseat, and she had a toilet that was quite large. In fact, it was called “Big John”. I kid you not, that was the label on the toilet.
Lots of people have asked us how we live in an RV and also live with two dogs. For the most part, they are pretty laid back and seem happy hanging out but sometimes they do make us laugh.
Adele flaked out on couch 
Brandy in her cave. The cave is on it’s side because Brandy can’t figure out how to get in and out of it! 
Brandy in her cave upright 
One of the few times they were both up and checking things out at the same time
One thing we’ve noticed here in this part of Florida is an odd establishment that is part liquor store, part “lounge”. We stopped at one in Carrabelle, very small and limited selection of wine, beer and liquor, decided not to check out the lounge side of things. But these seem to exist a lot in these parts. One establishment we’ve seen several times is “Cash’s”. They seem to be very proud of what they have done in support of their communities as evidenced by the sign we have seen at more than one of their stores:
One final bit of fun to share. Before we started out on our journey, we were “surprised” with a “gift” from a friend. This gift was a stuffed toy resembling the mascot of a “university” in the state of Georgia that we are not that fond of. Not wanting to offend and throw away this gift, we have allowed him to ride along with us. Unfortunately, he always seems to be getting into trouble. No matter what we do, every time we look around, he’s at it again…So, meet our version of “Flat Stanley” – “Bad UGA”
Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the “bUGA” 
Dog bites dog 
Speedbump 
What’s cookin? 
Dirty dog needs a wash! 
At least he’s potty trained.
Hope you have enjoyed some of our more amusing observations from north Florida. An update on Jill will be next!
