FINALLY MOVED IN

It is xmas day, 2015, and we are finally moved into our new home in Leesburg, Florida.  It has been quite a siege, we are both exhausted from cleaning out the motorhome and getting everything into our new residence.

Then we had to clean up the motorhome and get it ready to sell.  We are keeping it in a locked compound where we live and we have it up on 3 websites.  Hopefully it will sell soon.  We have priced it to sell.

Tomorrow my youngest daughter, Julie is coming up with her family and bring xmas dinner.  We have not seen each other in nearly 3 and a half years.  Looking forward to it.  Here are some pics of our new home.

Here are all somes sides of the house Our view

of the water is so great.

HOUSE IS ALMOST READY, HOORAY

Well, today is dec. 4th, the house is almost ready.  I have already ordered a bedroom set, mattress, dining room set and two couches for living room.  Still have to get 2 tv's and media centers to put them on.  Little by little we are getting there.  Yesterday we went there and I took some new pics.  We picked a spot in their compound to store our motorhome in case we don't sell it by then.  It is a slow going process.  So many scam folks keep calling, because of the ads we put out, but we are hoping.  We are looking forward to our new adventure.  My kids will be visiting during the holidays so I am excited about that.  Will keep you all informed of our progress.

Yea, driveway is poured

Love that porch

Concrete goes all the way around

View of our lake

Pic below is door going into joels office, 

The screen room will be put in after we move in according

to screen company's schedule

November 12, 2015   STILL AT LEESBURG, FL

We are still in Leesburg, Fl, awaiting the closing on our new home, problems galore, so much to tell.  House built backwards, bank a pita, contant redos on the build of the house , but we finally got it the way it should be.  Lots of photos, I wish I could have been there to see it installed but all the equipment made it too dangerous.  We have been going around looking at furniture, I have none, duh.  So far we bought living rooms couches, and I picked out a bedroom set.  Have to get much more.  I intend to do things slowly and enjoy it.  We should be closing in about 3 weeks to a month, so lots of time to get things in order.  We put our coach on rv trader and craigslist and also our cargo trailer, have a little bit of interest already.  Will be glad when this is all over.  Enjoy the photos, keep you all informed.  Over and out, Esta and Joel

Upper pic of porch side, isn't it cute

Window on left will be a door going into joels office,

this whole side will be screened facing the water.

View looking toward lake

My view from my new porch

Lots of folks have boats here

Below are the 2 pieces, they will be married(means connected.)

Oct. 28, 2015

Still at Leesburg, Fl.  We have bought a new manufactured home in a place called Mid Fl. Lakes.  It is about 5 miles off the main road.  Real country.  Park has been there for almost 50 years and has year round activities, wood shop, stained glass, ceramics, drama club, karaoke, entertainment.  The house is a 3/2 and will be put on a large water canalfront, so we will be able to build a dock and get a pontoon boat, this area is called the chain of lakes.  All lakes are accessible from our canal.  People seem to be real nice and the place is kept very nicely.  It is also gated which I like.  With three bedrooms, Joel and I will each have a room for ourselves, office, guest room and crafts.  It will also have a large screen porch facing the water and the front has a 13 foot porch.  I am looking forward to moving in.  It will take 2 months to build and bring it, so we have to be patient.  Hoping to have a new adventure.  We will sell the rv and trailer.  Start a whole new way of life.  I love the peace and tranquility of the county, but don't worry we will still have all the major stores just 5 miles away.

Will post more when we move in, can't wait.

This will be our new home

CORBIN, KENTUCKY

It is August 7th and we have pulled into the Corbin Kentucky Koa.  It is a nice campground but not at all big rig friendly.  We got a long pull thru but it was in between trees and everyone there helped us to get in.  It is Fri. nite and we decide to spend three nites there.  It is difficult to get weekend sites in the summer which is the only time they are open in these northern states.  On Monday morning Joel, the best driver in history manages to pull out without any help and we keep going south down I-75.  We make it into Forsyth, Ga. at about 4pm and get a site, pull thru, extremely unlevel but we don't put the jacks down and just plug into the electric.  This campground makes pizza and wings so we order dinner and they deliver it to us.  It is a Koa, but the sites and the roads going in are extremely unlevel.  Prior to us arriving they had a big thunderstorm and we are in the midst of mud.  Oh, well, it is only for one nite.  We pull out early the next morning and reach our destination in northern Florida, Leesburg.  This is a real country town.  We are staying at the Holiday Travel Rv Resort on us27 and country road 33.  It is practically across from beautiful Lake Harris and this park is a mixture of rv sites and park models.  They also have 210 boat slips so you can keep your boat here.  There is a wide range of activities for the winter.  We are on a grass site at least 40 feet wide by 60 feet long.  Our cargo trailer is beside us as well as our car and there is enough room for yet another rv.  Today we ate at Sonny's bbq, which we have not been to in four years.  Then we went to my favorite supermarket, Publix.  It is hot and humid, but it is august after all and we are glad to be back.  Starting a new adventure, looking for a permanent place to live and to sell the rv.  

BLUFFTON/FINDLAY OHIO KOA

Today is Aug. 6th and I had to do a small post about this lovely koa we are in.  Joel drove for about 8 hours till we needed to stop and this koa was the perfect choice.  It is right off I75 next to a cornfield and has 2 lakes in it.  One for fishing and one for swimming with a sandy beach.  It also has the nicest playground I have ever seen, pirate ship, train, fort, slides, swings, monkey bars and even a sandbox for the little ones.   Lots of activities but no pool.  All the sites are nicely manicured and grass and flowers are everywhere.  Our long pull through was level, was 50 amp water and elec. but no sewer.  We are only here for two nites so that is ok, they have a dump station on the way out.  However, at each site there is a french drain for you to empty your gray water in, have never seen that before.  The campstore is packed full of everything, food, rv supplies, loads of toys, lava lamp anyone?  The owners are so nice and are here all day.  It is very peaceful and quiet here, at night all you hear are the cicadas in the trees.  I took a couple of pics.  It is well worth going there.

Beautiful geese at the lake

View from inside the gate of the farm and fields

MACINAC ISLAND OR BUST

Well, here it is August 4th and we are at the St. Ignace, Michigan Koa to visit Macinac Island.  We passed the Koa into the town but because there was no name of the town on it we kept going till we got to the bridge.  We went over, it was $20 to cross.  Once on the other side we realized that it was the Koa we were looking for on the other side, so back we went, another $20.  We pulled in and saw that this koa had very tight roads.  The office is manned by teenagers, who know nothing about sites, camping or direction.  I had read a previous review of this place that said the electrical box is way in the back and you might not be able to reach it.  Was he ever right.  We ended up changing sites 4 times and finally found a space we could reach the elec. and get our satellite signal.  By the way, every site in this park is so unlevel, you will tear your hair out trying to get level, just do the best you can.  We booked three nites and left after two.  This area has very few rv parks with pull thru sites,which is what we needed, so we take what we can get.  It wasn't at all a good experience.  The trip to Macinac Island the next day was nice.  It is an expensive ferry ride over, but once you are there it pays to take a carriage ride.  Only horse drawn carriages and bicycles are allowed there.  It is such a pretty place.  Food there is reasonable.  A carriage tour is only $28, which seemed average.  You will learn a little about the place.  You can also rent a horse and go on your own or even a small horse drawn carriage.  I don't know how much that was.  It is difficult to get through the streets with so many people all over.  The weather was beautiful.  Enjoy the pics

Unfortunately sitting behind these huge belgian horses is amazing

Below is the Grand Hotel, where the movie "Somewhere

in Time" was made, it is a gorgeous place, just to walk through it

if you are not a guest costs $10

Below is one of the stops on the carriage tour

Like a museum with old vehicles and an 

old sled

This cemetary is is the Macinac Island State Park

one of the stops on our tour, Catholic on one side

Protestant on the other and a small area for

veterans of foreign wars

A gorgeous pic of Lake Huron

This is Arch Rock overlooking Lake Huron

The turbo diesel ferry going to the island

An example of the architecture on the island

Behind view of the carriage

WISCONSIN DELLS

Well, it is July 31, and here we are at the Ho Chunk Casino rv park in Baraboo, Wisconsin, just up the road a piece from the Dells.  We have been here since Wednesday.  We have a large pull thru full hook up space and we leveled the coach and so far the new windshield is holding.  We are a short walk from the casino and very few coaches are here, but the WINDS.  They are unbelievably strong, and it pulls the door from your hands.

Yesterday we went to the House on the Rock, which is a famous house which was built in 1945, but has only been open to the public since 1960.  Alex Jordan used to come to a picnic area called Shelter Rock when he was a little boy.  His family liked the area so much he bought the piece of land it was on.  Afterwards his father purchased all the surrounding property and began building this monumental house.  Alex continued the work after his father passed away and had loads of quarry rock brought in and this is what the house is made of.  Just walking through its dark and cavelike area is extraordinary.  We took the section 1 tour which was the original house, infinity walk and the Japanese gardens.  It was amazing to see this.

Afterwards we went to  Culvers, our favorite fast food place.  Love that culvers.  Then we went to the Circus Museum, Barnam and Bailey was quartered here in Baraboo.  Seeing all the old circus things was wonderful, they even had shows there and live camels and elephants.

Today, Friday we drove to the Dells, which is the tourist area to take a boatride on the lower dells.  This is an hour ride.  The upper dells is over 2 hours and it was very warm and extremely windy so we arranged for the lower one.  A shuttle brought us to the dock and we had almost an hour before boarding so we had some mexican food for lunch at a real nice place right on the dock.  The water level was too low to launch from there, so a Duck, amphibious vehicle shuttle picked us up and took us to a higher level dock.  There were only 6 of us on the tour, and so relaxing.  We chose to sit below because the wind on the upper deck could blow you away.

Anyhow it was a nice ride, we learned about how the dells were formed and I got some nice photos.

There are the sculptures outside the 

"House on the Rock"

Below is on of the carousel animals,

the house had a carousel room, a dollhouse room too

The lovely japanese gardens

Horseless carriage

Photos from the Circus Museum

Jumbo the largest elephant in captivity

Costuming area

Camels and elephants, oh my

Oldtime circus cars

I loved the old posters

Photos of the Dells