This week, weather wise, saw rain a couple of days (3, I think) and the temps went from the 80's down to having to turn on the propane heater, which means below 40 degrees last night. We are on the up-swing again with 80's showing for the rest of the weekend into next week.
Monday was a trip to Bushnell to see my new doctor for an annual physical. I liked her. Good news is, I'm alive and well .... ha.
Tuesday took me back to Bushnell, about a 40 mile drive from where I'm staying, to the DMV. I got my driver's license, unfortunately with a restriction (eye glasses - getting old) and a picture with my new, long hair. She also started the process for my vehicle registrations and I hopefully will be called back for my plates before I'm ready to head north again. I also need to call the Sheriff and have my vehicles inspected. The DMV trip cost almost $1,000. I sure hope I save A LOT on my taxes. That was the "welcome to Florida residence" price; my renewals will be based on vehicle weight.
And then onto Winter Haven to see the dentist. He was recommended by John Allen, Mandy's dad, and Dr. Butz and his staff were wonderful. The good news there was I take good care of my teeth; the bad news is I will be looking at some major dental work as I age and loose more bone density ... but I knew that.
And the most exciting part of this day ..... I got my hair cut. Finally. It's been about 4-5 months. As any of you who know me can attest, I have worn my hair short/short for about 30 years ... basically the same cut. The stylist said he cut off almost 3 inches all over, and it feels fantastic. I have very thick, heavy hair, so it was a lot of weight.
Let's see .... Wednesday was my annual mammogram. The tech made the visit very pleasant as she is a transplant from San Diego and was giving me the low-down on the bugs and spiders to be careful of, the terrible humidity here, the differences in the "Mouse" and why Disneyland is still better, and to be aware that every body of water, regardless of how small, has at least one gator in it. ha. She was fun.
Thursday took me to the Kennedy Space Center. If you saw my FB posts .... it was very crowded ... the busiest week of the year I was told. I had a great time and found it to be very interesting and well worth the stop.
They choose Florida as the Space Coast for the space program because of it's proximity to the equator and the rotation of the earth ... it increases the lift-off speed significantly and provides a faster launch.
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| Pad 39A - where the magic happens |
I had a first today when I was purchasing my ticket .... I ask for the senior discount admission price at venues and have been told a couple of times "I didn't look old enough" (yeah, right) or asked to show my driver's license, but this was the first time I was asked for my date of birth. I laughed and asked her if it was a mini-test; she laughed back and told me it was a requirement that she enter the information in her computer to issue the ticket; Laughingly I told her when you get to be a senior citizen you might remember what year you were born.
An observation on the day .... spent the entire day in significant crowds (in line, walking around, eating at a communal table) and English was not the main language among the guests ....
I was pretty tired when I got back to my car at the end of the day. I checked my pedometer to see how far I had walked ... it was totally dead and I had just charged it. What a disappointment; I wanted it to tell me I had walked at least a marathon. Time flies by quickly without notice ... I finally replaced my iPod after 10 years and my music plays without skipping; I'm upgrading my phone because it is dying; I guess my Fit Bit is also in need of some upgrade after I don't remember how many years I've had it ....
My campground is right on US 27 and as I come and go, I pass the Citrus Tower ....
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| One of Florida’s first “attractions,” the Citrus Tower was built in 1956 on one of the highest hills in Florida’s ridge section. The original plans specified a tower 75 feet high, but when completed, the Citrus Tower rose to a lofty height of 226 feet (equivalent to 22 stories). The tip of the highest antenna pierces the sky at 500 feet above sea level. |
I see lots of New York plates as I drive around, more than any other state (other than Florida, of course). I don't know if there really are that many, or because they are distinctive I notice them more.
Traffic around the Orlando area rivals anything in SoCal or the Atlanta, GA area. Between the bumper-to-bumper traffic and the Florida drivers, I decided to go back to the coach and let the public have the tours. As I'm sitting in stopped traffic, after a couple of miles I look over to the left and there is the entrance to WDW ... hence the traffic, except my lane was not one to turn ....
I did pull into McD for my usual ... restroom and drink .... and she charged me $2.95 for the drink. When I looked at her, she shrugged and said she knew it was normally a $1.00, but because of the proximity to WDW .... the reason I use McD as my rest stop is because they have consistently decent restrooms and a large drink for $1.00.
Florida drivers aren't like any other drivers I have encountered in any other state or Canada so far .... I really don't know how to describe them .... words like aggressive or rude don't capture the essence ....but it is definitely an attitude. I don't know if it is because I have an out-of-state license plate, or I would feel the same vibe either way ... the nearest I can come is "entitled". I wonder of SoCal drivers have the same attitude because of the tourists and we just aren't aware ...?
FYI - avoid I-4 if possible. I have been on it several times, different times of the day, in both directions and each time it was bumper-to-bumper both ways.
It appears to be relatively inexpensive to purchase housing in Central Florida. As I drive around there are tracts of new homes available for $180k and mobile homes available for $30k .... a steal by California standards.
Wishing everyone a blessed and happy new year.
2016 has been a very good year ......
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