Christmas in Tampa

We went back out on the OHV Trails on Thursday with Kathy and JC before we departed for Tampa on Friday.  As always, a good time was had by all while we were riding!  We babysat for Jackson on Friday night while Marianne and Kevin went out to dinner to celebrate Marianne's passing her PE test!  Yippee! Christmas Eve was last minute shopping and the usual impulse buying, but it didn't grow out of hand.  Kevin's family stopped in for a visit Christmas afternoon, and we all enjoyed snacks, chili, but most of all watching Jackson enjoy his gifts.  He loved his tricycle and was blown away by the little Mercedes that Alan and Kelly wrapped for him!

We drove back to the Forest on Wednesday with Jackson and Marianne and Kevin came in later.  We had a relaxing few days sitting around the campfire.  The "kids" went out ATV riding on the trails with Billy on Thursday while Jackson and I held down the fort at the campground and took hikes around the area.  A good time was had by all.

Jackson opens his new Mercedes!

Christmas Day

Christmas Day

Patsy, Kathy, Jimmy, JC, & Billy Working and Playing on the OHV Trails

Jackson on his new tricycle.

Riding the Trails and Hiking the Forest

Yesterday Billy and left here before daylight to drive the motor home 90 miles to see about some repairs. YES, the mushrooms are still growing through the wall.  Oh my!  We are having a difficult time with the manufacturer for a problem that surfaced long before the warranty was up on the motor home.  The company who worked on the problem while we were still under warranty has gone out of business, and naturally they did not correct the leak.  Certainly more to follow as we continue to encourage the manufacturer to "do the right thing!"

We went to the Wandering Wiregrass ATV Trails with JC and Kathy on Monday. (http://www.ehow.com/list_5981225_atv-trails-ocala-forest.html).  It was about 14 miles of hills and curves winding through a beautiful long leaf pine forest.  No bears seen this outing; however, we are going out again tomorrow.  Billy and I have been enjoying the Monday-Thursday night "Beat The Clock" Specials at the only restaurant in Salt Springs - Bass Champions (http://saltspringsfl.com/bass-champions).  You can order shrimp (cooked any way), oysters, flounder, country fried steak, chicken fingers, and about five other items and pay the special Beat The Clock prices.  If you arrive at 4:00, you pay $4.00 for your dinner, 5:00, $5.00......until 6:00.  What a hoot!  Salt Springs has a population of 7,950 and the line to get in the restaurant at 3:50 pm yesterday was out the door.  The food is expertly prepared and tastes great, especially at these prices!

While Billy was setting the motor home up after our return yesterday we had a gentleman stop by and ask for directions to the "path that leads to The Great Florida Birding Trail" from our campground. http://floridabirdingtrail.com/index.php/about/access_the_trail/  The Great Florida Birding Trail is a 2,000 mile trail through the state of Florida that Billy and I have been wanting to visit.  This gentleman is a volunteer for the trail and performs trail maintenance.  He is not the first person who has come through looking for the path.  I donned bear whistle, hiking boots/socks, orange vest, and bear spray and off I went to see if we could find the "path" to the Trail.  As you can tell, I am very proud of myself because I found the "path;" however, I didn't go all the way to the Great Florida Birding Trail.  Billy and I will hike our way back to it after Christmas and after I purchase a new water bottle for Maggie!  Did see LOTS of bear tracks out there.  So many that it looked like the "teddy bears had a picnic" out there last night.  Can't wait to return.

So, Life Is Good Today here in the forest.  We plan to crawl out from underneath our collard leaf and drive to Tampa on Friday to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Marianne and her family.  Thanks for stopping in.

Maggie warming up on the hot sand!

A break from our ATV ride!

An Awesome and Relaxing Saturday in the Forest

Billy and I rode out on the ATV in the morning to see ALL of our campers and then I lounged around the patio outside after I swept a few fallen leaves away, and following an early morning trip to Square Meal for a yummy breakfast.  We made a short jaunt around the Flea Market there at the strip mall "shopping center,"  and I came away with jar of homemade chow chow but not the recipe.  I am "working" on her, and hope I can talk her into turning loose of that recipe before we leave here.  Just an absolutely beautiful day to relax.  Jane and Bill Berry (OHV Center Volunteers) stopped by for a visit, and my did we swap a few stories and laugh a lot.  That was fun.  Jane took the Chain Saw Class with Bill and Billy (I know this Jane, Bill, Jane & Billy gets confusing when we are together.), and she can tell them how to do it!  LOL!

Billy built a beautiful campfire and Kyle stopped in with his dog Bailey for hamburgers on the grill.  Great friends living here in the Forest so "Life Is Good Today."

Chain Saw Class in the Forest

We haven't touched based with the blog in quite a while.  Billy has been busy every day this week from 9:00-5:00 taking a chain saw class.  This crawling out of bed early routine is becoming an aggravation for him.  He is totally amazed each day at how much there is to learn about chain saws.  I really wish that I had taken the class now; however, don't know if I would be able to hold the chain saw upright for any length of time with my sternum healing.  Speaking of sternum.  I have FINALLY quit whining about it.  I still scream bloody murder if I cough or sneeze, but the improvement is promising.  Thank goodness that is over.

We had planned to take the ATV out for a spin on the trails on Monday with Kathy and JC but the rain came pouring down.  Instead we drove over to the OHV (Off Highway Vehicle) Center and picked up a US Forest Service truck for us to keep.  We can use the government vehicle for official duties, training, or meetings.  Yippee!  This forest is VERY big and it is a long drive from one side to the other.

Then we took a spin through a small section of the forest in our truck on four wheel drive.  There are countless roads through the forest here, and I doubt that we will ever explore all of them.  We drove over to Rodman Reservoir to discover that the Corps of Engineers is drawing the water down, and fishermen are enjoying a "heyday" of catching large bass.  The fishermen regret that current regulations require them to fish and release as the pond is being drawn down.  My brother recalls that he and and his best friend Dean used to enjoy fishing Rodman Reservoir (http://www.jimporter.org/lakes/ocala/) when they were stationed in Jacksonville, FL.  I think Billy is itching to return to our sticks and bricks house to pick up our fishing boat.

Billy came down with a nasty cold last week so Maggie and I went out for walks in the forest alone.  Wow!  Won't do that again.  I saw an old abandoned road off of the path that I was following so I decided to step off my path and explore where the road traveled.  After walking about 30 minutes I realized that I was out in the forest without a hunter's orange vest so I quickly turned around to return my familiar path.  Unlike when we were kids playing in the woods I could not find the path anywhere.  Maggie and I walked until I could find a cell phone signal and called Billy to "trace this call and tell me where I am." Obviously that idea was hopeless so we walked on until we heard traffic and followed the sound of the traffic to the paved road.  My, that was a long walk.  After Billy recovered we walked together out into the surrounding forest, and he carried the GPS along so that we would not become hopelessly lost.  There is endless beauty out there and many bear and deer tracks.

Today is my sister's birthday.  "Sisters are different. They heard the sobbing in the darkness. They lived through all your triumphs, all your favorites, all your loves and losses. They have no delusions. They lived with you too long. And so, when you achieve some victory, friends are delighted - but sisters hold your hands in silence and shine with happiness. For they know the cost." –Pam Brown  I love you Beth.  Happy Birthday.

Christmas from long ago!

Life is indeed Good Today.  Maggie and I are off to the laundry mat.

Driving through the Forest!

Holidays At Shanty Pond

Not much has been going on in our lives since Thanksgiving in Tampa.  I have been frantically sewing to get Kinley and Lincoln's Christmas outfits complete and in the mail before this weekend!  Done!  We now have a neighbor in Shanty Pond.  Sandy and Carl moved in while we were away.  They are Volunteer's at the Ocala Forest Visitors Center, and they are going to be fun to have as neighbors if we could all slow down a bit to sit around a campfire.

Yesterday went out on the 45 mile Centennial Trail (http://www.offroadnorthamerica.com/park.asp?pid=600) with  fellow volunteers Kathy and JC.   They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary by buying one another this great four wheeler.  Aren't they just the best?  We didn't see a bear yesterday, but there is no telling how many we scared away as they heard us coming.  That is the first time that we have been OUT in the MIDDLE of what is called the Big Scrub!  It was very interesting to me because I am currently reading The Yearling which was written while the author was living in the Big Scrub area (http://floridanature.wordpress.com/2009/03/21/the-yearling-trail-a-visit-with-jody-another-time/).  We enjoyed a yummy picnic of Billy's homemade chicken salad sandwiches!  Yep!  Life Is Good Today.

Today Billy and I had appointments to complete our yearly physicals.  We drove the 40 minutes into town and went in to take a seat in the waiting room.  We were sitting there all prim and proper with self-righteous grins on our faces until the receptionist yelled out for all to hear.  "Mr. and Mrs. Hornsby your appointment is not until tomorrow."  Now, I used to snicker when OLD FOLKS did that back in the day.  I wanted to say "And I put on make-up for this," but we kindly tucked our tails and went out the door.  Guess we will go back tomorrow, but I may not wear make-up again.  LOL

Billy, JC and Kathy stopping to pick a limb up off the trail.

The four of us ready to roll at the Trail Head.

Kathy and JC - Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary

Thanksgiving Day in the Forest

Woke up to a beautiful morning in the forest.  Walked around and visited with the guests and chatted about how wonderful it is to stand around the campfire on Thanksgiving Day.  Then I packed up the cornbread dressing, cranberry sauce, green beans, giblet gravy and honey baked ham and drove over to the OHV (Off Highway Vehicle) Center to potluck with fellow camp hosts and trail workers.  There was plenty food there to enjoy, and the Interns got to stock up their refrigerator with the leftovers.  Wow!

Caroline called last night and left a message on the answering machine about how happy she would be if I made her the Old Fashioned Fruitcake.  I called her and told her that I was working almost non stop on the three Xmas outfits, and she insisted that I had enough time.  Okay, I will try but I am not promising anything.  I have to finish these three outfits before I make that fruitcake.  The fruitcake takes 2 full days to make and probably 3 days with this little Easy Bake oven that will only hold one cake at the time.  Oh well, if asked nicely we will do most anything for our kids.

Some of the Campground Hosts enjoying Thanksgiving dinner.

Hope all of our loved ones had a beautiful Thanksgiving, and now I am going to put my stuffed self to bed.

Betty is a Camphost at Mill Damn all by herself.  She is just the sweetest!

Working, Playing and Picnicking in Ocala National Forest

Billy Bringing out our picnic with Bill and Jane

(You can double click on a photo for a better view)

After a weekend of answering bear questions to our campers we got up early and hit the OHV (Off Highway Vehicle) Trails.  We took the Pipeline Trail, otherwise known as the Brown Trail, today and had a blast.  We ran into some of our fellow Campground Hosts who were performing maintenance on the trails.  At about the time we were looking for a place to picnic we ran into Jane and Bill who were also performing trail maintenance.  We all piled out and enjoyed a wonderful picnic.  Shortly after returning to the trail Billy and I ran into this huge "road block!"  He stopped and sat still for us to photograph and then promptly ran away when we restarted our engine.  He was magnificent and a very good bear!  (Good bear because he ran away from us when we made noise.)  We would have been in big trouble had we been WALKING around the curve when we met up with this fellow.  Certainly would have been justified in using the pepper spray on him if he had charged us.  Maggie was fascinated with his scent, but wanted to chase him when he ran away.  No worry, we had her in our arms and on a tight leash.

I have made much progress on the Christmas outfits.  There just are not enough hours in the day to enjoy the forest, perform our duties as Campground Hosts, keep up with our laundry, sew for the babies, and then grab a few minutes to lounge around outside by the campfire with a good book.  Last night we walked Caroline through the process of setting up her computer for Skype.  It was great fun to be able to talk to the boys and see them at the same time.  Skype is a great thing for these traveling Grandparents.  Life Is Indeed Good Today!

                                                           Maggie and I at the corral.

Patsy dragging the trail and Billy/Maggie coming up on her.

Billy, Jane and Bill studying the map to see if Billy and I can find our way out of the forest.

Oops!  Major roadblock straight ahead.

He stopped us to ask for directions, and we told him he was on the wrong road to NC or TN!

Posing for our camera and not moving away at all.

Today's the Day the Teddy Bears Have Their Picnic!

Another Fun Day in the Forest

We laid low over the weekend and watched football while relaxing.  Yesterday we had a mandatory Volunteer Meeting that we attended.  These early morning "wake up and go" were not figured into our retirement routine.  No problem.....we met lots of fun new people, learned a few things about The Forest and then went into Ocala to pick up Billy's new toy and trailer to haul it in.  I know.....how?  what?  When?  Whatever......Billy calls it a "tool" to add to his tool collection.  It can be called a Utility Vehicle or Off Road Vehicle; however, I call it a souped up go cart.  Whatever it is we spent three hours out on the trails (http://www.floridatrailriders.org/articles/ONF.htm) with it this morning and had a blast.  Maggie had fun, also.  I think she getting used to enduring new challenges every day.  I lost my bear whistle in the campground last night while we were completing our "rounds."  Rounds to document each one of our campers and ensure that they are abiding by "Safe Bear" practices and The Forest Rules and Regulations.  Billy and I looked all over for the whistle to no avail.  Billy said "that's great!  Now some bear is going to find it and blow on it all night to keep us awake!"  Thankfully, one of our fellow campers found it and returned it to us.  Got to rush and try to make some progress on these three Christmas outfits I am making.  Life Is Surely Good Today In the Ocala National Forest.

Marianne, Kevin and Jackson Visit for the Weekend

I had a "real" doctor's appointment finally on Friday and the results were that I have a fractured sternum without complications.  That was a real relief to know and thankfully I have some pain medication to get me through the next month of pain.  WOW!  I couldn't have been injured at a worse time.

On a fun note Marianne, Kevin and Jackson arrived Friday afternoon for a weekend visit.  We went to Bass Champions for a wonderful dinner and then sat around enjoying one another's company.  We have eaten a few times at Bass Champions and they have never disappointed us.  (http://saltspringsfl.com/bass-champions)  Saturday we watched a few disappointing football games and Marianne, Jackson and I went in to Silver Springs for some warmer clothing for Jackson.  For lunch we all sat around the campfire and grilled weenies, marshmallows and made S'Mores.  Wow!  Marianne prepared and served us a wonderful dinner of homemade spaghetti.  Kyle (Forest Ranger) stopped in with his dog Baily to enjoy an outside dinner with us.  Jackson and I took a few walks through the forest and Jackson enjoyed the freedom of being able to run and play without having to hold someone's hand.  Yes sirree......"Life is Good Today!"

On Sunday, after a breakfast of almond French Toast Jackson and I went for another "hike" through the forest.  After which, Jackson fell asleep on "Big Daddy's" lap while we each lazed around and relaxed.  Oh yeah!  A good time was had by all.  We just learned that a bear in the Hopkins Prairie area of the Forest walked up to a campsite with folks sitting around the campfire and took their cooler.  This is a BAD BEAR who may find himself trapped in the near future and then Hopkins Prairie area will possibly join us with the "no soft-sided" tents allowed.

FL Black Bears Beware-Billy and Jane are certified to use pepper spray!

Billy and I woke to a house that was too quiet on Monday morning.  Maggie began her "there is a bear outside my window bark" but we didn't see anything.  Shortly afterwards we saw a BIG Bob Cat walk by the motor home and into the woods across the street.  After reading about their habits (http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/bobcat.php?lb_v=7) we realized that we should be honored to enjoy such a good look of one.  What a wonderful weekend in the forest!

Jackson on his "Beep Beep"

After a fun day in the Forest

This is exactly how our Bobcat looked

Aggressive Bear Class!

We had a somewhat busy weekend with a few campers in here for black powder hunting.  Everybody was really nice, and we enjoyed the company.  This morning Billy and I had the growth experience of getting up early to be at a 8:30 am Safety Class which lasted six hours!  Before we left for the class, Billy walked across the street to use the potty "house" while Maggie and I stayed in the motor home.  Maggie alerted me with an unusual sounding bark that a big black bear was in front of our motor home between us and Billy in the crapper (about 25 yards).  I tried to call him on the cell phone to alert him to be careful when he came out of the potty.  Silly me!  I know our cell phones don't work out here.  Never mind!  Thankfully Billy heard the tone of Maggie's bark and assumed that she was barking at a bear.  When we got to class we discovered that it was a safety class on aggressive bears and the use of pepper spray.  We learned quite a few facts that we did not know.  We knew that a black bear will pop his/her jaws/teeth, bluff with the head, snort and run back and forth and bluff with the feet to warn a person before he/she attacks.  We knew to back away slowly and not to turn our backs on the bear and run.  We also knew to make a lot of noise and wave our arms to intimidate (yeah right!) the bear.  What I didn't know was, just like with dogs, you should not make eye contact with a bear until you are prepared to take the last resort option of using pepper spray, a club, a shoe or whatever is handy!  In a last ditch effort with a Grizzly Bear you should play dead; however Black Bears eat dead animals.  If you are cornered and unprepared you should "fight for your life."  I learned that our 400 hundred pound bear visitor this morning is classified as a "bad" bear because he/she calmly turned her head and looked at Maggie on the dashboard barking to beat the band, and then she/he just lumbered slowly away.  A good bear would have run away or climbed a tree.  Also learned that nursing cubs sort of purr like cats so if we hear a purring while walking around think we should go the opposite direction.  Also learned that cubs playing squeal and make a sound like babies crying.  After extensive instruction on the use of pepper spray we were issued our own can of pepper spray, a holster, and a whistle.  We each had to demonstrate how we back down a bear.  Sorry, no photos, but sticking your tongue out at the bear won't work!  Also, learned that Billy did the correct thing early this morning by driving through the campground and notifying our one camper that we have a curious bear wandering around the park.  Then we were educated that we need to fill out a bear report incident report for each bear that we see, for each bear scat that we see, and for footprints.  Paper work!  But it all makes sense!  I would SO HATE to see one of these beautiful black bears be "put down!"  You may ask...."Why are you there?"  We love it.  We are very "bear aware" because of the bears around our house in Panama City.  They just seem to be more concentrated in this National Forest, and we are responsible for the education and bear safety of our campers.  These Florida Black Bears are truly magnificent animals.  We just need to educate folks on how to "live" with them.

A quick update on my sternum, lack of pain medication and doctor's appointment.  Our new doctor received the XRays and CAT scan and the nurse called and spoke with Billy yesterday.  The nurse said that it looks like they will have to refer me out to an Orthopedic so they gave me an earlier appointment for this coming Friday!  Yikes!  I just want the pain to go away.  Wish I could call Michael Jackson's doctor!  Just kidding!

Thanks for stopping in to visit.   As always "Life Is Good Today".  Nighty night.

All is Quiet at Ocala National Forest

Still very quiet here in our little corner of the forest.  We have had one camper here for a couple of weeks, and a couple from Australia stopped by to spend the night Tuesday night.  Last night we had two hunters set up camp through the weekend, and we have turned a few away because we don't allow soft sided tents this year.  Apparently the black bears were too active in this area last year.  Yesterday we drove out to Delancy Pond to visit some of the other campground hosts.  Lake Delancy West provides an OHV (Off Highway Vehicle) recreation area along Lake Delancy with OHV corrals, access to numerous marked OHV trails along theOcala North OHV Trail System, and camping along the lake. The recreation area also serves as a trailhead and designated campground along the hiking-only Florida Trail.  It  was beautiful out there; however,I believe we are partial to our very isolated and private "neck of the woods."  

You can double click to enlarge.  These are some bear prints that we found nearby.

Today, the mosquitoes are carrying us away.  Poor little Maggie has zillions of bites all over her skinny little body.  Billy sprayed outside, gave Maggie Benadryl and bathed her in Clamine Lotion, and we rubbed Avon Skin So Soft all over ourselves and Maggie.  Hope that does it.  Day before yesterday I had a Cat Scan on my sternum but haven't received the results yet.  I am very happy to say that I am finally able to tell that the pain is improving somewhat.  I am certain that Billy is very thankful that I don't scream as often.  Closing for now and "Life is Good Today!"  As a side note, Billy went to the store a few days ago and bought Halloween candy for the trick or treaters.  Yeah RIGHT!  I have already eaten all of the Reese cups!

The squirrels have discovered that they can run up and down the trees outside our motor home and harass Maggie.

A Tough Adjustment for Me at Ocala National Forest

I have lost track of days, dates and time as my chest has continued to hurt.  Went to the Dr. in Ocala who took XRays and was so proud of himself by being able to tell me that the sternum was broken.  Well Well!  I did say - I heard something POP!

Billy and I opened the gate to Shanty Pond Campground at 8:00 am on Saturday morning and expected a throng of visitors to drive through!  Wrong!  We only have one camper and have had only one camper all week.  We had a host couple from Hopkins Prairie Campground (Ocala National Forest) drop by to visit us last week.  They said they wanted to see how the other half "lived."  I exclaimed that we don't have water, and to my surprise they related that they do not have electricity.  They were jealous of our concrete slab and the fact that we have a land line telephone.  I don't think I will be in a rush to tell them that we had DSL hooked up to that land line today.  Our cell phones barely work for miles and miles around here; but Billy got a "gizmo" that gives us a boost in the motor home as long as we have the cell phone plugged in to it.  The sluggish and almost non existent internet will not present a problem since we hooked up to DSL.  We are trying to bring our routine back to normal here, because we would really like to return next year as campground hosts on the ATV trails.  Managing the trails sounds like a lot of fun and we would have weekends off to go visit the kids in Tampa!  The Ranger assures us that on November 11th we will have people lined up to come in here for the start of hunting season.  We will see.  Our responsibilities are to keep track of campers and their payments as well as being on site Friday, Saturday and Sunday should we be needed.

I wish I felt like a million dollars so that could finish some sewing projects that I have started. I did finish Kinley's little "Fall" dress.  So "Life Is Good Today!"

A Short Visit to Tampa before the Campground Opens

Billy and I left on Wednesday to spend the night and enjoy a birthday dinner with Marianne and her family.  We are both beside ourselves with an unlimited supply of water and an internet that is not slow as Christmas. Closing quickly so I can upload some photos.  Life is Good Today.