So Now I have to............

Funny how I thought it would be great to move to an RV Park in the Sunshine State and not have to do any yard work.... not have to mow the grass... not have to rake the leaves... not have  to.... well you get it it?      right??????

So we sold the farm, well most of it anyway, and moved to Florida.

To St Augustine Beach Florida to be exact.

And we moved into the best RV park in the city.   Beats the "resort" parks hands down.  yep, really loving it.  The beach is that way, work is the other way, and best resturants in town is across the street.

So after about 6 months in the old RV, we upgraded to a new RV and are loving it.

Yet there was something lacking......  the Barngoddess used her skills at growing to plant flowers and things just took off.......

Put in a flower box for her, nothing special, just a few blocks frm the local big box home improvement store, and some soil and ........ walla, she has her flower box.

Everything is going great, she plays in the flower garden as I sit in my lawn chair and watch... great ........right??????????   wrong???????????

Then came the need for grass to accompany the flower box, and also to keep the sand out of the new home........ so to that same big box (Joey Logano sponsor) and we came home with sod.  lots of sod...  more sod......
and walla, the yard was formed.  So next came a weed eater to mow the sod with....... and now I am mowing the grass every week..............................

I think I should bring my Zero Turn JD mower back so I can cut that grass quickly...
so a few pics of the yard for your  viewing pleasure.

the flower box in the front yard,

this shows the back yard and the back flower box added because

I got a few too many blocks to start with

and a different view of the front yard and the original flower box.

Note that F350 dually, 7.3L waiting to get to work hauling our new house around.

So now, every week I have to haul that weed eater out and mow the grass.

Takes longer to set up to mow than mow...

but we love it down here.

Love to all in MO and will see you soon.

Tom and Viola.

Where in the world is the Longrooffan????

OK, here is the truth,
The Long Roof Fan is a terrrrrrible driver... he drives from Daytona Beach to St Augustine = a mere 42 miles and it takes him 3 hours.
He is totally against the Eisenhower Highway System, and takes 4 days to drive from Florida to SW Missouri (note a trip that takes this old man only 16 hours)
So I calls him up last weekend, Saturday AM to be exact, knowing that he gets off work at 6 pm, and he would be within (a normal persons) 30 minute drive from that Birthplace of speed.

Hey where you at, we're heading to Daytona and want to know if it's raining down there.

His reply:  Heck I ain't home................

So all you bloggers:  Where in the world is the Longrooffan????

keep posted for more hints.

Clue one:  He saw the factory that made my new home.

so have fun figuring this one out!!!!

the Beachbiker 

Just for My Noble Assistant

So after many years of good help from my Noble Assistant, the Barngoddess (aka Beachgoddess) and I moved to St Augustine Florida to enjoy the warmth and not have to put up with snow, cold wet rainy/sleet, and tornadoes.So now we are going back to good ole MO at the end of May and are going to bring that Noble Assistant of mine back to Florida with us. Giving her an experience on the beach. But alas our beach wasn't good enough for the Noble Assistant. Nope was too narrow and not big enough for a midwesterner to really enjoy.

Now we could have gone down to the Birthplace of Speed and used their beach, but since that town doesn't recognize the vehicles we travel in are bigger than the bmers,posches, audis,etc and our little mule takes up more room to park, and those people down there gave me a ticket for not fitting in the parking space, I just don't like going down there unless it is to the racetrack.

So being the government employee that I am, and carrying a lot of clout, and having been in the big circle of meetings several times. I used all that to get the Corps of Engineers to make the beach here bigger and better. And being the good govment employee I am, I go to the beach every day to make sure those workers are spending my hard earned pork barrell money correctly.

But first a pic of our new yard, put down a lot of sod to keep the sand out of our new house

To show the rest of you how well our money is being spent, I enclose a few pictures of the progress. Note how close they allow us "Locals" to get to make sure the job is being done correctly. So without further ado I give you pictures......

I hope you enjoy as much as I do = watching the TONKA toys play in the sand and water...

Thats the beachgoddess sitting in the beach chair talking to one of the tourists, while we keep track of the action

Here is the Beachgoddess watching to make sure that dozer gets the sand in the right place. 

This is a pic of the end of the pipeline where the sand and water come out. Trivia for the Jeep = pumping over 3 miles from dredge site. Pipe is 30 inch diameter, each section 40 ft long, 90% coming out of pipe is water, amount of sand pumped in one hour = over 1,000 cu yds don't know the pressure required to pump that far, but imagine the pump required to do that job......

and that's how we celebrate life down here in the

Nation's Oldest City

April 19, 1974

This date, 4/19/1974, shall live in infamy.

Yep that is one of the most important days of my life.

That day is 38 years ago yesterday, and yesterday is the first time in 38 years that I have forgotten what that day is all about.

Well at least until I finally got home from work and that woman I live with told me about it.

Viola and I said those famous words, 38 years ago, in downtown Kansas City, Missouri with Chief and Mrs. A. Gooch in attendance. I seem to remember Viola saying "I do" and then I was asked do I, and I said something to the effect of "I do what"? When I got hit in the back and told to say I do. I did and boy am I ever happy I said, I do.



WE have been through some bad times (when I was at sea) and a whole bunch of good times.

Viola has followed me from Kansas City to
Peculiar, MO -
San Diego, Calif -
El Cajon, Calif -
Gales Ferry, Conn -
Agana, Guam -
Hong Kong, China
Honolulu, Hawaii -
Springfield, MO -
Republic, MO -
Shell Knob, MO -
Aurora, Mo -'
Marionville, MO
St. Augustine Beach, Florida


heck of a lot of moving around the world, but we were always together (except when I was at sea on subs or the Proteus or in Japan with the Fleet Hospitals.)

Will I do it again, don't even need to ask -

So as we start our 39th year together, love to you - wall to wall and tree top tall.

Love ya Viola.

tom

They wore me out.

So yesterday morning I wake up and am ready to go and get some things from Home Depot and make our yard a little nicer.

There are a couple families that live here, and between them they have about 8 or 10 kids.
So I catch the oldest and ask if he wants to help. Yeah let me go home and ask mom. So off to the depot and get supplies and return.

Yep all 8 of the kids are waiting for me.
and off we went to working. Well half way through had to go and get more supplies, and enroute I was driving the speed limit, and glad I was, cause this guy was watching for me:



and as I went over the big bridge to the depot, I looked down and saw a couple guys out on the marsh playing with their SUVs in the mud and muck and thought about this guy and wondered if I could find him and take his jeep to play with:



any way, by the time I got back, I was loaded down (my little mule) was loaded and I wish I had this today so I could haul more:



alas the only thing I could find that wasn't being used was this little boat..... but the cannons were so loud, I figured I'd get evicted if I brought it home.



So instead, I just kept my little mule and continued on.

Viola went to Wendy's and bought a bunch of cheese burgers and fries, and with the kool-aid, we had lunch. And the kids loved it.
Anyway after 4 hours, the kids had worked so hard and fast I was having problems keeping up, and we called it quits.

THEY WORE ME OUT. But we had a blast with all of them helping here and there and underfoot wanting something to do.

So today is rest day. But we sure did Celebrate Life yesterday with a bunch of kids.

last evening sitting outside we had another couple come over for crackers. got a good pic of them as they snacked away>




and that was the day.
later

Finally Pics of the New Home

Ok, it's been a long time coming, but I finally got the hang of this new laptop down and have figured out how to get pictures from the old computer to the new one.

So here are some pics of our new home we took possession of back on 3/9/12. Sold the Wilderness to a couple here in town and they are elated and have made it really nice for them.
We have been making the "Sanibel" more homey every day.. So enjoy the pics

HOW MUCH LONGER????

Here it is, 6 weeks since we put the moneys down on our new house - and still no new house.

We're waiting for the factory to churn out the units. We do have the serial number for the new house, but alas no new house.

So I am at the point that I am getting tired of waiting. Yup, I just can't believe it takes an RV company 6 weeks since we ordered, and still no unit.

So where is this leading?????

I found a better "new house" and all I have to do is get the Jeep up here to help me out.

Better yet, I'll probably need the LongRoof Fan and The Kid, and probably need my Noble Assistant TOO.

So what is better that a mobile house, yes one we can hook up to the "little mule" and move around at moments notice. After all there are hurricanes down this way, oh and tornadoes too.

But being how the Jeep is so great at getting things "unstuck" from the mud and muck- don't believe me--- every pic I have of the Jeep he is in a jeep in water "stuck".
here's the last time



So I get the Jeep to bring his jeep, get the Bus to come down with the Bus and Trailer (not the bus on trailer), the bus so he has a place to sleep (in the bus), and get the Long Roof Fan to bring his Ford Econo up (you know, the one him and jeep use to get the jeep unstuck),

here's a pic of their last time in the mud and muck



so the Jeep pulls it closer, the Long Roof Fan pulls the jeep, and we put it on the Bus's trailer that he pulls with the Bus......The Kid is the Longshoreman who gets to go into the water to connect everything.

So what is it I think should be my next new best home......... I give you a picture!



All the while this poor Beachbiker (aka Horsefarmer, aka Sailor), along with his Barngoddess1, (ala Beachgoddess, aka The First Mate), and of course My Noble Assistant, well we do what I am doing our most important job:




WHAT???????

The Jeep doesn't have that jeep; The Long Roof Fan doesn't have that van; The Bus is snowed in;

Alas, I guess I'll just wait till next week to get our new house on wheels.

Meanwhilewecontinueto CELEBRATE LIFE downhereinbluehairland