1979 Volkswagon +

I just happened to be visiting a friend here in the campground & as I was leaving, this car came by. They bought it in this condition. It is a SUNDAY CAR, keeping garaged when not being shown off.

Right after that, I saw this handicap scooter. I had never seen one with this big of a front wheel before. The motor is in the front wheel, 13" tire, & the scooter will run 15 mph. I saw the guy spin the wheel on both gravel & blacktop. Of course that was with tipping backwards a little to get the weight off of the front tire.

Weather is beautiful here today. Look at the sky in the 1st picture. Supposed to get up to 88 here today, so maybe I'll go swimming after I get off of the PC. Lounge here is plenty cool with air conditioning, plus the bus holds about 75-80 with low humidity, so that is comfortable. Have a nice day. Ron

MICKEY MOUSE CUSTOMIZED CAR

I saw this car this morning, so had to take pictures of it. I asked a dumb question!!! How much did it cost to customize this car. The lady you see about to get into her motor home in the background said she didn't know & didn't want to know, because her husband spends his money & she spends hers.
Then I got to ask him & he didn't answer me either. He just said he bought it, "ONE PIECE AT A TIME"
I liked their light. One light inside the globe & then they glued 2 smaller globes to the larger to make it look like Mickey Mouse. I suggested a face, but they just said it hasn't happened yet. The wife works at Disney World two days a week during the winter.

Games

This afternoon here at Thousand Trails campground they had fun games for both kids & adults that still act like kids, LOL. Must have been 30 kids participate. I liked this action shot the best with the boy's expression in the sack race.
On to the tied leg contest with Wal-Mart sacks, these two pairs of girls had a tie & had to have a run-off contest. Made me happy because they were facing the sun making a better picture headed toward the sun. Oh, instead of walking, all 4 of these girls ran back doing REALLY WELL. The pair on the right in the picture won.
Even the ADULT KIDS HAD FUN!!! They did participate in the other activities also, but I think they had the most fun in the water balloon because they were able to bomb the kids. I also got hit, but the woman said she just hit me in the foot because I had my camera. You can see the smile the woman in the blue blouse had, so you know she was having fun.
None of these games would have been possible without Brenda, who was a volunteer running the games. I wanted to get a good picture of her demonstrating to the kids how to do the sack race, but didn't get that & then when I got her in a race with the adults a guy got in front of her, so I just posed a picture of her with her shirt, which I liked. I also found out it is her birthday today, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRENDA. Tonight is Karaoke. I hope to get to sing 1 song anyway, "I'M MY OWN GRANDPA".

Painted the bus

I painted the bus roof Thursday. Wednesday I washed the roof with Tide. It sure was dirty. Then I noticed the soap scum dried on the side after I got off the top, so I had to was the sides of the bus also. The side of the bus is Ford Tractor Blue & the roof (I CALL) ROBIN EGG BLUE. I've had several compliment on it already. Look at the window behind the driver & you will see a vertical tube. It is the vent like a clothes dryer for my new portable air conditioner.
My nephew is a manager at Lifelong Coatings of America. See the picture of the pickup door sign in bottom picture. He gave me 4 gallons of coating that had been rejected because of mis-color match. He told me to mix all 4 gal. together to get a consistent color. So when I poured in the 1st gal., I realized this was thicker than I realized & it wouldn't all pour out of the can, so I decided to RUIN A SPOON, since I had spares for similar use. You can see the color difference here. I wish I had bought a metal stir rod to go in my electric drill. Took a lot of work to get 2 gallons blended.
Then I poured in the other 2 gal. Now it was too deep for the spoon, so I found an 1 X 2 " stick to stir it with. My arms were shot by the time I got done stirring it together to blend. Then I used a 32 oz. cup to dip & put back into a gal. can, plus had to stir to blend again. Then I had to climb up on top of the rounded roof to paint it. I'M AFRAID OF HEIGHT, PLUS THE WIND WAS WHIPPING 15-30 MPH. I've gotten several compliments on the paint job. The roof almost looks white compared to the darker blue.
So if you live here in central Florida, I hope you call my nephew to get your next paint, (coating) job done. It can save you money with energy savings. You can look at their website at: http://www.lifelongcoatings.com. He said I could expect to be about 15% cooler in my situation. Depends on the color you are changing from as to the % you save. Would have been 40% if I had been going from black to this color.

Below is another blog I guess I was too tired & forgot to publish last night or MAYBE I DIDN'T REALIZE, it didn't finish getting published, AS THIS DIDN'T, & I HAVE HAD TO REWRITE THIS ONE THE 2ND TIME TODAY!

It is cloudy outside today. Just nice temperature. I made some microwave fudge to share with some friends I met last night. A retired farmer & his wife from Indiana. Also a few minutes ago I met a gal doing a picture puzzle who graduated from Indiana & her husband is also a photographer. I also met a doctor I had a nice chat with. Seems I am always making new friends. Ron

No Work, No Tacos, No Senorita!

I took these pictures at the same market where you saw the watermelons being unloaded from the bus. Unfortunately I evidently was too tired & forgot to publish the story last night. This is the owner's pickup & he is hiring migrant workers to pick watermelon & eggplant at the moment. They did have strawberries & Florida Sweet Onions. Those onions are so sweet, you can eat them like an apple. I want some more of them. I went to a veggie market to buy some but they are sold out & said they can't even get anymore this year.
At the end of the docks is this fun dunebuggy which isn't complete yet. It only has the rear wheel drive connected at present. It has seats for 6 people.

Hot Air Ballons

I was in the bus & had just finished eating breakfast, when I heard the very distinguishable sound of the burner on the hot air balloon. I grabbed the camera & ran outside. By the time I got the camera turned on you can see he was past me. BUT HE MUST HAVE BEEN RIGHT OVERHEAD when I 1st heard him, & THEY WERE LOW ALSO.
Zooming out the lens, I noticed these 2 had similar colors.
Then I noticed they were getting lower & lower to the ground, but moving too fast for me to walk to keep up. I was hoping to get there to see them land. So I hopped on my electric scooter. By the time I got it unlocked & the seat for it, a 3rd balloon came by.
So I rode my scooter down the road in time to see the 3rd balloon go over the campers in storage, not landing here as I had wished. Disappointed, I went back to the bus. I counted 7 people in the basket.
I had just got the camera put away & the scooter locked back up when I heard the 4th balloon, so I got this picture. I think it was the prettiest. You can just barely see on the right side of the balloon a Dolphin. When I came in to lounge here to download the pictures, a couple came in here & said they had went on a ride a couple of years ago. They start over by I-4 close to Disney World.

I think all my excitement is over for today. Time to lay back, go swimming, etc.

There is another blog following this one for you to see as I posted it 1st. Ron

Turtle, butterflies, squirrel, & sunrise

I took this picture yesterday. As I exited the bus, this ENDANGERED SPECIES turtle came toward me. I had just Wednesday threw out some Romaine lettuce he might have ate. I gave him a small piece of cheese, which he turned his nose up at. Later I saw ants loved it though. This turtle came toward me, so I backed up. Maybe he didn't like having his picture taken, LOL.
This is a unique butterfly puzzle. Looking you'll see butterflies in the butterfly. It aggravates me that they have signs on 4 tables saying jigsaw puzzles only, when I rarely see more than 1 person working one at a time, but there might be 5-10 people in the room wanting electrical outlets to run their PC's, & those jigsaw tables are the ones where there are electrical outlets.
I saw this squirrel this morning. He checked out the maid's golf cart to see if there was any food for him, then he ran for the fence, so I got his picture.

All of my intention of going out for pictures this morning was for a beautiful sunrise. Not as pretty this morning as yesterday when there was a haze or smoke diffusing it yesterday. This trailer belongs to a friend of mine from Frankfort, Indiana.

The sun is shinning. Bound to be a beautiful day. Maybe I'll go swimming today. I am at the Orlando Thousand Trails Preserve. 2 swimming pools & a hot tub. Maybe play some cards tonight. Going back to Peace River Preserve tomorrow. Ron

Would you like some OJ?

I was driving from Sebring to Orlando yesterday & got a little sleepy, so decided to get pulled off for a break, which turned out to be Lake Wales. Turning the bus around can be A JOB!!! I ended up on a dirt road, but I was able to stand up on the hood to take this picture. Looks like at least 25 semi-trailers of oranges. I talked to a security guard & she told me they just show you videos, no live tours anymore.
As I was sitting awaiting my doctor's appointment, I saw these 6 love bugs. They are bad here this time of year. The male-female fly around attached to one another back end to back end. 6 here, so looks like they are having an orgy!!! They sure make a mess all over windshields & radiator grills. When I 1st saw one this year, I thought it was a lightning bug, as it's head is red.
Yesterday afternoon I kept hearing the report of a truck turned over, but not blocking the highway. It was on a side road. That was around 2 PM I heard about it. It was around 7PM, when I was headed to Best Buy to buy my portable air conditioner that I saw it & took pictures. The tanker was loaded with treated waste water, YUK! And it smelled too!!! YUK! I came back by about 2 hours later & it still wasn't turned upright. Had to be pumped off 1st & when I was there, they were having problems keeping the pump engine running.
I forgot to tell you, this semi accident happened 6,630 miles from Russia, LOL. Actually it happened right next to an orange grove that has a roadside stand that is popular in the winter.
On my way home from buying the air conditioner, I stopped at a convenience store. I like their shirts, so took this picture. They said the brand of coffee was founded in 1872. Sounds like cowboys coffee grounds coffee to me.

It is overcast here today, but doubt we get any rain. Cold front coming, so low 80's this weekend. They are now projecting 88 next Wed., Th., & Fr.

Have a nice weekend everybody. Ron

HAT TRICK

If you don't think this is a hat trick, YOU JUST HAVE TO HAVE A LITTLE CHAT WITH THIS LITTLE LADY. I happened to be in Wal-Mart trying to get keys made when she came back to the sporting goods dept., looking for a cane pole. I never realized I'd ever see this woman again, but as I was headed back out to the junkyard, I saw her down fishing.
I got past the road where the people go to the ramp to put boats in, fish, & go swimming in a hole in Peace River. By the time I got turned around to take her picture, she had given up on fishing. She said the swimmers were scaring the fish away.
Hey guys, she is looking for a man, BUT, he has to like to fish & HAVE A BOAT! Now that would be a "HAT TRICK", LOL.

How many watermelons can an old bus haul?

I was on my way back to the campground today when I saw this. There are a lot of old used school buses used in this area for agricultural use. I could see this bus came from maybe the early 1980's or maybe even as old as the 1970's. It was an International 1700 series. The body USED TO BE A BLUEBIRD, but behind the 1st row of seats, they cut it off to the floor level & then put sideboards of wood on. They may have paid around $2,000 for this bus, not anywhere near it's value if they bought a used straight farm truck. Plus they have great maintenance when they are owned by the school, so a used school bus is a great value. My bus has all the things a $100,000 or more motor home has with a lot less cost.

So how many watermelons do you suppose was in this load? 2,000? 3,000? WOW! It took 6 guys to unload this bus load.

I went in & talked to the owner of the FARMER'S MARKET. I'm going back in this next week. He is supposed to have some SWEET ONIONS for me. They raise them in the strawberry patch. The onions are so mild, you can eat them like an apple. NO TEARS when you peel them either!!!

Hot here today. Think I'll take a nap, then shower, & go swimming. Hope to have my 2ND air conditioner soon. Ron

GOOD MORNING

It is 70 degrees here this morning. We had a thunderstorm move through here yesterday with .2" of rain, PLUS IT COOLED US OFF HERE, THANKGOODNESS!!! The picture here is the guard shack which isn't used during summer months. Check-in is at the store. Notice the Navy flag, that a camper purchased to display. There is also an Army flag. Space is available for also any campers who want to purchase an Air Force or Marine flag to display. I was a Navy photographer.
This picture was taken from inside the fence of the pool area. Notice the trellis I have used to frame the bus. TOO BAD, it didn't have some pretty flowers on it.
AAAAAWWWWW, the HOT TUB. I put my hand in it & it felt SO NICE. I went & got my thermometer. It said 104. Would sure feel nice this morning, but plan to be in the swimming pool this afternoon to cool off , IF IT ISN'T RAINING. Yesterday as I was just parking the bus in the campground, (NOT WITH THE DRUNKS IN THE JUNKYARD NOW), there was a big lightning strike. I saw about 3-4 people get out of the pool IMMEDIATELY!
Looking at the bus from this angle, you can see the sun shining on the windshield. Also you see the TV dish beside the bus, with the ladder sitting beside the bus. The ladder was on the bus OK, UNTIL I WENT TO INSTALL THE PC EXTERNAL ANTENNA ON THE POLE, & the TV coax was running through the ladder. Having had problems with the TV dish last week, I didn't want to disconnect the dish to get the PC antenna up. So now I am on PC while sitting inside the bus :)

Good Morning reminds me of an old joke I'm not gonna tell, because it was dirty, but I can tell you the punch line. "GOOD MORNING THIS MORNING. IF IN THE MORNING BE AS GOOD OF MORNING AS THIS MORNING, IT'LL BE A PRETTY GOOD MORNING IN THE MORNING."

I do have a little riddle for you though. You know there are bees flying around all spring polinating all kinds of plants. So where do they go to pee if they have to pee?

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They go to the BP station :) Have a nice day,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Ron

Sunset Pictures

Wednesday evening, it was smokey from the fires here in Florida. It is also again here tonight on Friday night, so much so that you can smell the fire & I think the smoke we have is coming from over 100 miles away, although they said there are 200 or so fires going on here in Florida. I liked this picture because there is like a yellow ring around the sun. SURE LOOKS HOT!!! If I remember right this picture was taken at 1000th second at f/8.
This picture I got it lined up with a tree & the neighboring building.
Across the street from the junkyard is a Spanish hard working guy who has a nursery & is out working in it ALL DAY. He also has these Holstein calves. Last week he had some full grown cows who got out & he spent some time getting them back in the pasture where they belonged. He sure was lucky they didn't go through his nursery plants.
This is my favorite picture I took of the setting sun. I had to take 5 or 6 to get the alignment I wanted on it. I didn't realize how fast the sun is moving when it is setting. My thoughts about this picture was: "SUN POWER EQUALS ELECTRIC POWER". Ron

What kind of Palm Tree is it?

Yesterday afternoon I came out of the bus to see this branch OPEN? I tried throwing things into the tree to bring down the seeds, THINKING I'D SEND THEM TO ALL MY FRIENDS UP NORTH, SO THEY COULD HAVE PALM TREES.
Well, I didn't do too good at that, so PLAN B comes into play. Get the ladder out so I can cut the limb off. Sure did make a mess of a lot of seeds falling off onto me as I was down lower than the limb I cut off.
I layed the branch out on (WHAT WAS LEFT OF MY AWNING AFTER WE HAD A HARD RAIN & WIND STORM SUNDAY. We got maybe 2" of rain, but we are still in a red zone for fire danger & tonight there is smoke all over & I can smell it. We sure need rain badly.
Next thing I noticed was there were honey bees pollinating it. Then I hear that the seeds have to dry out & it is best left on the palm leaf to do so, SO AT PRESENT, I DON'T HAVE A MILLION SEEDS TO MAIL TO ALL MY FRIENDS. I was told though, it only takes 1 seed to make a Palm Tree. They can live up north in the summertime, but need to be moved inside out of cold weather farther north. A ceiling skylight is great lighting for it, but also they grow good with fluorescent lights.

I have asked several people what kind of Palm Tree this is, but received no answer. Hopefully some of you out there will know. Ron

Here on Gilligan's Isle

This is one of the several boats out here at the junkyard. John, the drunk who at the moment is in detox, rode out Hurricane Charlie inside it. He said it moved about, but he considered it strong enough to protect him. I guess it would make a good hiding place also if needed, LOL.
As I had just taken the picture, this helicopter flew over low. Coming to rescue me?

Guess not as it flew on by. Actually we are familiar with the helicopter as it flies over morning & afternoon. It is owned by a rancher less than a mile away. This rancher also has an airplane, but parks it at Sebring airport, about 20 miles from here. I grew up on a farm & never herded cattle with a helicopter. I understand this rancher has lots of acres & spread all around.

We had 2 storms come through here yesterday with probably about 2" of rain, but the 2nd one, WHEN I WASN'T HOME & HAD LEFT THE WINDOWS OPEN!!!, tore my canvass awning off. I thought maybe I'd just get some new canvass, but I see it bent the aluminum arms, so guess I'll just sell the aluminum off of it.

The weather is very Nice here today in the upper 70's. Have a good day. Ron