Happy New Year's Eve!

We have settled for the evening at the town of Lady Lake, FL . It is a pretty area, rolling hills, grassy fields and oak trees draped in Spanish moss. It is very different from lower FL where we have spent the last few months. We drove past the exit to DisneyWorld and thought about stopping but the traffic at the exit was backed up to the freeway...so that quickly changed for us and we kept driving.

This morning, before we left West Palm Beach, we toured Lion Country Safari. It was really fun and very interesting. We got some great pics but I can't download and post tonight, so will probably put those up in a few days.

Last Day of Work in Florida!

It is fitting that we were able to check out the second largest deer for J.W. Corbett W.M.A on our last evening here. It was the largest deer for South Check Station. It also had the biggest rack (points).




Here in the east, the hunters count both sides of the rack, so this was called a 12 point (it would have been a 6 by 6 in the west). These were some very proud hunters.

One More Day

Not that we are counting or anything...we are getting itchy feet and are ready to move on and see some more of this great country of ours. Today is Pepper Pot Day...bet you didn't know that!

Pepper Pot Day commemorates the creation of this thick spicy soup, which was served to the Continental Army during the cold, harsh winter of 1777-1778.  Pepper Pot soup was first made on December 29, 1777.

According to the legend...........

During the Revolutionary war, the Continental army was camped at Valley Forge.  The winter was cold and harsh. Conditions were deplorable. Food was often scarce. George Washington asked his army's chef to prepare a meal for the army, that would both warm them, and boost their moral. The chef found scraps of tripe, small bits of meat and some peppercorn. He mixed this in with some other ingredients, and created Pepper Pot soup, also known as "Philadelphia Pepper Pot soup”. The hot, and somewhat spicy soup, was well received by the troops. It was  called "the soup that won the war”.

Celebrate Pepper Pot Day by making some Pepper Pot soup for the family. Note: while tripe was a main ingredient of this soup, you can substitute with chicken or beef.

Two More Days

I was just checking the calendar and today is National Card Playing Day and National Chocolate Day. I like that!

We have 2 more days of working and then we are done and heading out to the open road. We will be heading north to Virginia for a couple of months or so. It has been fun here and we are sorry to go, but I know some mosquitos that are really really going to miss us. We have met the nicest people. It amazes me how kind and interesting people are in this great country of ours.

Beta Babes

Sandy Bell and Carrie

My online group is called Online Beta, it is part of Beta Sigma Phi. I have been part of sorority for many, many years but this is my first time in an online chapter.  I have sisters all over the country (over 70 in this chapter). Today, Laton & I were able to meet up with Sandy Bell and her husband Dick. They have a great blog also, called The Traveling Bells . We met up for lunch at a wonderful place in Jupiter, FL called Schooners. Very nice ambiance and great food and even better company. It was so much fun.

Christmas Day

What a fun day, even if we are working. My parents always give the grown kids money in unique ways. This year was kind of "NUTTY".

Thank you mom & dad!

TurDukHen

Several years ago while living in Phoenix, AZ my parents, Ann & Wes Rook, would travel down from Crescent City, CA to spend the Thanksgiving holidays with us. One year we made smoked turkeys so there wasn't REAL dressing (the dressing stuffed into the turkey) and no drippings to make gravy.  I improvised with chicken stock and package gravy. Unfortunately, Dad caught me dumping the packages of gravy into the liquid so he wouldn't even touch the gravy that year.  He was very disappointed, his Thanksgiving had been tampered with. The next year we tried a TurDukHen (de-boned chicken stuffed into a de-boned duck, which itself is stuffed into a de-boned turkey) with great success. The gravy makings were phenomenal. We had 1 gallon of gravy by the time the drippings were skimmed and thickened. We also made a regular turkey with REAL dressing and my dad was one happy man that year!

This year we are in Florida so missed out on Thanksgiving and Christmas with the parents so I had my sister and brother-in-law, Carolyn & David Dikes, pick up a TurDukHen for dad for his Christmas gift. I think he was pretty surprised.

Christmas Eve

Sandy & Ed - new friends

Our Christmas Eve campfire

Our New Floor just finished today!

We are having a lovely evening. We are working until 9PM but are enjoying our decorations and campfire.

Vance's Visit to Santa

Van Diesel had a chance to chat with Santa...

Our favorite Ornaments

Here are some of our favorite ornaments we are enjoying on our little Christmas Tree!

Our travel trailer ornament from Hallmark.

Sadie Mo, our basset

 

The Phoenix skyline (Qwest building with the blue pyramid top) and my favorite southwest manger scene.

My New Ornament

I participated in an on-line ornament exchange. It was just as much fun as the ones I used to do in person.  We sent our names to the hostess, she did a drawing, sent us our ornament receiver's name, we did a little chit chatting back and forth on line, read each others bios and then sent each other ornaments.  It was supposed to represent what we think of that person.  Here is the ornament from my gift-er. I love it.

I am lost!

We have a lost dog that showed up at the kiosk. He is so sweet. We are hoping someone calls or comes by to claim him. I have put his picture out on Facebook and E-mail. The biologists we work for will have to take him to a shelter if no one claims him. They said they will take him to a no-kill shelter. I wish we had room in our travel trailer for him. There is definitely room in our hearts! He is very polite and follows Laton around "like a puppy". LOL I couldn't resist. We have been calling him Buddy.

POLITICALLY CORRECT CHRISTMAS CAROLS

Jolly Mature Morally-Gifted Nicholas

POLITICALLY CORRECT CHRISTMAS CAROLS:

Frosty the Snow person

I'm Dreaming of a Multicultural Christmas

O Come Let us Adore Him or Her

Jolly Mature Morally-Gifted Nicholas

Rudolph the Recovering-Alcoholic Reindeer-American

Vertically Challenged Drummer Child of Undetermined Gender

Oh Holiday Tree

Have Yourself a Merry Little Day of Winter

Grandma Allegedly Got Run Over by a Non-Human Perpetrator

I'll be Home for a Short Period of Time in December

Rudolph the Differently-abled Reindeer

Chestnuts Roasting on a Safely Maintained Continuously Monitored Nontoxic Eco-friendly Outdoor Fire for which I do Have a Permit

Higher Power Rest Ye Merry Gentlepeople

Deck the Halls with Boughs of Unendangered Foliage (If Office Policy Permits)

Hark! The Herald Mythical Winged Creature Sings

I Saw Mommy Greeting Santa Claus with a Purely Platonic Expression of Inoffensive Mutual Affection

We Wish You a Merry Non-Religious-Specific Day-Off in Winter

Oh Come all Ye of Extreme Loyalty to Non-Material Evidence

Oh Devout Night

O Little Town of Palestinian Joint Rule

We Three Misogynist Autocrats of Eastern Asia Are

Still Decorating

This will be our first tree in our RV since we retired in 2008. It turned out pretty good!

Starting our Christmas Decorating

Since we live in an RV, there is not a lot of room to put up our holiday decorations but we do our best.

Laton's letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

[     ] I've been good this year.
[     ] OK, most of the time.
[     ] Once in awhile.
[ X ] Never mind, I'll buy my own presents.

Love, Laton

More Insects!

Today we had the pleasure of meeting a horsefly 1 and 1/2 inches long. We almost shook his antennae and said "pleased to meet you". We have encountered snakes, fire ants, horseflies, gators, deers, hogs, racoons, bob cats, squirrels, armadillos, otters, bald eagles, hawks, turkey buzzards, lizards, rabbits, frogs, turtles, centipedes, ticks, ducks, snipes and the ubiquitous mosquito. I feel like I am in a Disney movie, except they don't dance and sing. LOL

Creepy Crawley Continues!

gator eating a turtle

A hunter shared his recent photos with us. The size of the rattlers here are amazing.  Seeing nature this close is quite interesting.

Happy December!

Dear Santa, Please give me a Fat bank account and a thin body. 

Please don't mix these up like you did last year.

Love, Carrie

Lovely Cool Florida Weather, Finally

The weather has finally cooled off here in Florida. It is still very buggy (lots of flying insects). Here I am enjoying a lovely cool afternoon manning the hunter check station. I am crocheting a baby blanket to pass the time.

Snipe Hunting

While growing up there was the urban legend (guess since we lived in a small town, it would be called a rural legend) that sending someone snipe hunting involved a bag and a flashlight and going out in the woods in the dark. Snipes were an imaginary creature that you were supposed to try to find while wandering in the woods.  It was a joke on you.  Imagine my surprise and hilarity when I discovered Snipes were an actual game bird, like Quail or Dove.

Happy Turkey Day!

We had to work today so here is a wonderful Thanksgiving feast provided by our co-worker Mary K. It was yummy! We are soooooo sleepy now. We had garlic mashed potatoes, ham, stuffing, turkey, green bean casserole, sweet & sour red cabbage and apples, corn pudding, 2 kinds of cranberry sauce, and giblet gravy. I probably forgot something, but it was all very delicious.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Laton & I have to work tomorrow so our co-worker is cooking the turkey.  Mary brines her turkey so I am anxious to taste it. I made a pumpkin cheesecake.  I miss my spring-form pan but I think my premade graham cracker crust will work. 

A Winter Luminary

This is the other side of the luminary

I have been busy crafting for several swaps and am very happy with my winter luminary.  I love this bear stamp. I added some bling with some bitty sparkles for the holidays, but it is hard to see in the picture.

Card Mania

Butterflys

Thanks for Everything

Pretty Flowers

Since I already had all the ink, stamps, and paper scattered all over my craft trailer, I thought I would keep making cards...24 cards later, here are some more of my favorites.

Stampaholic Day

SKU Code Card

Just a note to say Thanks

  
Today was a fun day of nothing but card making.

Check out my favorites!

Sunflowers

More Sunflowers

Vance's Halloween Costume

 Our baby grandson's costume...better late than never!

Thank You to our Veterans

Every year Laton & I would have a huge party on the Saturday closest to Veteran's Day. We had lots of good food, we had a gift exchange and we had a flag retirement ceremony in the back yard complete with music consisting of taps and the national anthem. It always brought tears when I would observe the pride and respect for our country in my friends.  I would like to thank all my friends and family, especially our veterans.

 THE FINAL  INSPECTION

The  soldier stood and faced God,
Which must  always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were  shining,
Just as brightly as his  brass.

'Step forward now, you  soldier,
How shall I deal with you ?
Have  you always turned the other cheek ?
To My  Church have you been true?'

The soldier  squared his shoulders and said,
'No, Lord, I  guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry  guns,
Can't always be a saint.

I've  had to work most Sundays,
And at times my  talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been  violent,
Because the world is awfully  rough.

But, I never took a penny,
That  wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot  of overtime,
When the bills got just too  steep.

And I never passed a cry for  help,
Though at times I shook with  fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've  wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't  deserve a place,
Among the people  here.
They never wanted me around,
Except  to calm their fears.

If you've a place  for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so  grand.
I never expected or had too  much,
But if you don't, I'll  understand.

There was a silence all  around the throne,
Where the saints had often  trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For  the judgment of his God.

'Step forward  now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens  well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's  streets,
You've done your time in  Hell.'

Author Unknown~

Gift Ideas

Recycled empty TP Roll Gift Card Holder

I spend a lot of time following different blogs and chatting about craft ideas with various fellow crafters. The talk right now is about creating Christmas Gifts, big and small, and in this economy, inexpensive. Handmade ornaments, cards, groups of cards and gift card holders are topping the list.  I have seen battery votive lamps made from old wine glasses, dry erase boards from dollar store picture frames and various bags of treats.  I will be posting some of these ideas this month but thought I would start with some recycling.  Here is a toilet paper holder gift card holder.  Fun and easy to make using up scraps.  The most expensive part of this gift is the gift card you enclose.   LOL! 

SSSSSnake!

Laton took a picture of a snake that was in the palm tree near our trailer. I knew to look on the ground for snakes, gators and fire ants but now I have to look up!  I don't like this at all!

Opening Day

Today was opening day for General Gun Season here at JW Corbett WMA. Laton & I were busy all day.  We checked out 6 deer and 16 pigs.  This hunter, Cody, brought in a 282 pound boar.  He was pretty proud of it and well he should be. He gave us permission to post this on our blog. It was pretty late in the evening so it is not the best picture, but this boar is hanging from a winch on a swamp buggy and stretches well over 7 feet. 

Happy Halloween!

Laton wants to go trick or treating tonight but I don't think the deer and pigs have any treats for us!

We  decorated the Kiosk - Scarey Right?

Gators Galore!

Gator!

A boat heading into the Ortona Locks

This was the view from our campsite. Very Interesting.

We are enjoying our last couple of days here at Ortona Locks and Laton caught this gator cruising by. Can you imagine people on ski-doos and canoes share this waterway with all these gators. He was one of three sunning on the shore line across the way from us.

Ortona Locks

Muzzle loading season is over and General Gun doesn't start until November 5th so we have a nice little break to explore FL. When we drove over to Sanibel Island a couple weeks ago, we found a great little Army Corp of Engineers Campground called Ortona Locks . The Lake Okeechobee Waterway cuts through the middle of Florida from the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico.  There are several locks to aid the boats traveling on the waterway. It is very interesting on the map. We are enjoying several days here watching the boats and enjoying the wide open scenery. A bit different than the feeling of living in the jungle of palmettas and pines at JW Corbett WMA.

Gecko Eating a Moth

We have a little colony of Geckos that live around the kiosk and this one caught a moth and proceeded to swallow the whole thing in a matter of seconds. I felt like I was watching a mini horror show!

It was almost gone by the time I turned the camera on!