Diversion on the Sea

Our suite at Candlewood

Being cooped up in a hotel room can make a person a little bit crazy. That's my excuse for saying "yes" to Mark's suggestion (I'm blaming him entirely).

There we were, sitting in our little hotel room, waiting for information from our insurance company. No word on the motorhome. No word on the car. Twiddling thumbs. Thinking about what to do next. 

Then, out of the blue, Mark says... "We should call our cruise 'planner' and see if there are any cheap last-minute cruises we could go on. It beats sitting in a hotel room." 

That logic is hard to argue with. After all, a cruise to nowhere would beat sitting in a hotel room. 

The fact that we had just returned from a cruise only three weeks before served to add a twinge of guilt, but certainly not enough to put the damper on looking. No harm in looking, you know. 

So Mark got on the phone to our Carnival agent who looked to see if there were any cruises with availability going out of any of the Florida ports in the next week or two. And there was nothing. Oh well, it was fun checking.

A little later on we got a call from our Carnival agent. An opening just came up for a three-day cruise to the Bahamas... leaving tomorrow! Carnival doesn't reduce prices anymore, of course. We should have said "no way...too expensive." But instead, we said, "Book it." 

It must have been the insanity.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

That was Wednesday, the 13th. 

We started packing up our room, and put together a small suitcase to take care of us for a weekend. The next day we headed to Port Canaveral, our departure point, hauling the trailer full of all our possessions behind us. Mark dropped me off at the terminal, parked in the oversize vehicle lot, and we headed up the escalator to check in. 

When we completed our online check-in the day before, the instructions told us we would need either a passport or an "enhanced driver's license"-- you know, the new ones that let you get on an airplane without a passport. Some states have them, some don't. Mark thought that our Texas driver's licenses were the enhanced variety. I had planned to grab our passports out of the safe and take them along anyway, but... well, one of the problems with last-minute plans is not having enough time to carefully plan. The passports were forgotten (curiously, one of my recurring nightmares). 

The front line agent in the terminal kindly explained to us that Texas drivers' licenses were not enhanced (enhanced cards say "enhanced" right on the front), and we would need a birth certificate to go with the license or we would need a passport. 

Fortunately, all our possessions were back in the parking lot, so in short order we had our passports in hand and headed to the counter to check in.

Once at the counter, we began the extra scrutiny given to those lunatics who book a cruise 24 hours before the ship sails. "Did we go through security a second time?" they asked. "What are you talking about?" we answered. The agent's computer locked up. Another takes over. Agents are quietly murmuring back and forth, one leaves, comes back. Pictures are taken...we can go. No additional security check will be done. Well, that was interesting. Maybe booking last minute isn't as good an idea as we imagined.

The next little surprise waited for us at the cabin door-- two key cards; one for him, one for me. Only they had somebody else's name on them. Apparently Carnival has trouble with last minute changes too. Fortunately, one of them opened the cabin door for us, so we dropped our stuff in the room and headed straight to "Guest Services" to get our own Sign & Sail cards (key cards)... with our names on them. By this time Guest Services is closed because the crew is preparing for the "Safety Briefing." That's the grueling fifteen or twenty minute exercise required before every sailing, where all the passengers have to gather in their assigned Muster Station and learn about how to put on their life vest and disembark into lifeboats in the event of a catastrophe. Since I am now a "Platinum" level guest, I approached the special counter for those privileged guests and managed to snag an agent who was still scrounging around behind the desk. I briefly explained our problem, and she quickly, and graciously, provided us with new key cards (even though the desk was officially closed), while a bunch of other people stood around wondering why we got helped and they didn't. I expect she realized we would need them for the safety briefing, since they take "roll" with the key cards to make sure everyone participates.

Ocean view cabin on our "impulse" cruise

After the briefing was over, we were finally able to head up to the Lido Deck for some food, our first real meal of the day...only to discover all the buffets were closed. Lunch was over. They were prepping to put out the dinner food. Fortunately, the "Guy's Burger" hamburger joint was open, and we grabbed food there to tide us over until dinner time, which on this ship was 6:00.

It was a trying first day, but once we stumbled through all the unexpected issues and settled in, we had a mostly happy and peaceful weekend. 

Our only port of call was Nassau on Friday. Thursday and Saturday were sea days. But even on sea days, there is more to do on a ship than in a landlocked hotel room. We walked a lot, saw a couple comedy shows, and (as always) enjoyed the food that I didn't have to cook or clean up after. We discovered a little-used spot on the port side of the ship with comfortable seating and spent a lot of our time there, watching the ocean. In Nassau, we got off and walked around a bit. Mark wanted to look for a place with WiFi and check his emails, so we found a little cafe advertising two "Bahama Mamas" for the price of one, which sounded like a good idea... and we sat for a while.

Coming into Nassau. The lighthouse looks like a toy. It's not.

I still feel a little guilty for spending more than we should have just to get away and try to forget our troubles for a bit. But it was a mostly relaxing diversion. And, thanks to this short little cruise, I am now officially "Platinum" with Carnival...a status that comes with laundry service-- something Mark has been looking forward to for some time.

Just before we left on the cruise, we were notified that the insurance adjusters approved repair of our car. It seems the damage to the frame, if there was any, was not sufficient to "total" it. It should be ready for us sometime in the middle of March. 

Upon our return, we were notified that our RV was indeed "totaled." That was not a surprise. We have since received a settlement offer from our insurance company for "fair market" value, which we have not accepted. We learned that, even though Florida is a "no fault" state, we have the option to file a claim with the insurance company of the liable party. So that's what we're doing. We're seeking restitution, not fair market value. Once that runs its course, we'll let you know how it all turns out.

In the meantime, we are comfortably settled into Candlewood Suites, an extended-stay hotel in Valdosta, Georgia, which is the city where Mark's daughter, Melanie, and her family live. It's a much roomier place than the last one, and the price is about the same. For once, Mark gets to spend some time with his family. Most of the family we've visited with over the last year have been mine. It's certainly his turn, and he's thoroughly enjoying it.

We're hoping for a resolution on our insurance claim by the end of next week.

Until then...

The Disney ship docked next to us

"Snow White" on the movie screen.
(One of these days, I will take a Disney cruise.)

Our spacious "suite" at Candlewood

Candlewood suite kitchenette area. Not much different
than cooking in the RV...except it has a bigger fridge!

Moving Day

Well, the first phase of our nomad life has been brought to a close. We moved out of what I have affectionately dubbed our "Follymobile" on Sunday, February 10. It was mostly fun while it lasted.

The Hoffmans (Mark's daughter and family) were kind enough to loan us their spare SUV and a six by twelve box trailer in which to store our personal effects until we find a new home.

Mark hopped on a plane to Valdosta to fetch them back to Miami.

On moving day, he hired the two sons of the wrecking yard owner to help him load the trailer. They were happy to get the cash, and their help was invaluable to me--since it meant I didn't have to do any heavy lifting. It took us about five hours to load everything up. We had spent a full day earlier in the week packing as much as we could into boxes, but there was still a lot left to pack up.

It's amazing how much stuff you can cram into a 38-foot motorhome!

The culprit

Jammed by a hairdryer

We had a little trouble getting to the drawers in the bedroom, wherein rested all the "Harley T-shirts" that Mark has collected over the years. Normally, in order to access those drawers we would need to extend the bedroom slide. But alas, it wasn't going to budge. During the tumult on the road, the slide had evidently tipped out a little bit, while at the same time, the door of the cupboard that was housing the hairdryer came open. The hairdryer flew out, slid across the floor and landed under the closet slide where it remained, keeping the slide from settling back to a level position. You would think that the heavy closet slide would have crushed the hairdryer into bits. But it seems the hairdryers of twenty years ago were made of sterner stuff.

The problem with drawers on a slide

We were about ready to call everything in those drawers "irretrievable." But as it turned out, once we removed the mattress from the bed, we were able to pull out and empty the top two drawers. After that, there was enough space for me to stick my skinny arm into the bottom drawers and pull out their contents, one item at a time. Nothing was lost.

In fact, we lost very little in the way of personal belongings, thankfully. Many of the glass items that broke could probably have been saved just by stowing them a little more carefully. I'll know better next time. Live and learn.

Cooking in a teeny-tiny kitchen. Ugh.

So now we wait... in hotels. Extended-stay hotels with kitchenettes aren't very much different than living in a motorhome. In some respects they are roomier. Like the bathroom, for instance. This one, however, is designed for one person, not two. It has no table--only a desk area and one chair. So one of us gets the desk (Mark) and the other gets the easy chair with a plate on her lap. But it's okay for a short stay.

We received the good news that our car will be repaired-- one less thing to worry about. It will take three or four weeks to complete, but we have a loaner vehicle, so it isn't a real hardship. The settlement quote on the motorhome is taking longer.

In the meantime, we decided to do something fun. Our extended-stay hotel was located about five minutes from the Miami Zoo, and we both enjoy zoos, so we spent a day bumming around the zoo. It was a hot, sticky day, but we just walked slower and took our time. There were hardly any people there. We got a parking place right up front and felt almost like we had the zoo all to ourselves. It was great!

Sitting around hotels can be hazardous to your sanity. In my next post, I'll explain what happened. In the meantime... zoo pictures! :-)

American White Pelican

Not sure if he's smiling or hissing

Humans

Double hump camels

Giraffes

African elephants

Squirrel monkey

Yellow snake

Too hot to move

These guys are everywhere

Ibis, a native bird you see everywhere in Florida.
They are little scavengers.
They will steel the food right off your plate if you're not
on your guard. We watched them snag french fries
from at least two diners as we ate lunch.

Bald eagle

Piece of rubber tire... with teeth

Did I mention it was too hot to move?

Symbol of Florida
(not the state bird, however)

Picking Up The Pieces

It's not always clear how to move forward after a major disaster hits your life. Mark and I have had a few conversations about where we go from here. As Christians, we want to be sensitive to God's leading in our lives, but as every Christian knows, God's leading is also not always clear.

Shortly after the crash, we went to the wrecking yard and cleaned out the car because we believe they will probably total it as well. There was some pretty serious damage done to the frame.

On Tuesday, we returned to the RV and unloaded the fridge and freezer into our big cooler and brought it back to the hotel room, which has a full-size refrigerator. We were surprised to find most of the meat was still frozen. The internal temperature of the freezer was still at 30 degrees, and the fridge was at about 55 degrees. We tossed a few things, especially leftovers and half used up bottles & jars. Surprisingly, nothing inside the fridge was damaged, though there was some spillage.

Then we put together some pots and pans, dishware, cooking and eating utensils, the coffee pot (which also survived--it was stored in the sink), and some other miscellaneous items to take back to the hotel with us. 

How to proceed over the next days and weeks has been the main topic of discussion between Mark and me. It became clear early on that we would have to move out of the RV, regardless of whether it would be repaired (unlikely) or scrapped. With that in mind, we talked about how to store our personal goods in the meantime. We thought about Pods (moving/storing), but with this option it may be difficult or inconvenient to get to our stuff if we needed to access it before actually moving into another place. We also considered renting a U-Haul truck and hauling our stuff to Valdosta, Georgia, where the Hoffmans (Mark's daughter and her family) live. That option turned out costing more than we really wanted to spend.

Conch House in Key Largo

Lunch break at the
Conch House

In the end, the Hoffmans offered to loan us their enclosed trailer and a vehicle. Thank God for families-- especially families with resources!  Mark would fly to Valdosta to pick them up and drive them back down here to Miami, where we are staying while we wrap up loose ends. 

Now we had a plan. Mark got busy and booked a one-way flight from Miami to Valdosta with Delta, and in the process discovered he had built up enough "SkyMile" points with them to pay the entire cost of the flight. That surprised both of us since we haven't really flown anywhere in a while. 

So in preparation for moving out, we made another trip to the RV on Thursday to start the laborious task of packing up our belongings. It took us the better part of the day to get about half the job done--on the inside, that is. The rest will have to wait until moving day. 

Until you have to move out of a place you don't realize how much stuff you have, even after you've gotten rid of everything except what you believe you "can't live without." I wonder if we couldn't easily live without a good many more of the things we have squirreled away in all the nooks and crannies of that motorhome that we think we "need."

Extra-tiny kitchen cooking
in our hotel room

Friday morning we put Mark on a plane to Valdosta. Today, Saturday, he is driving back to Miami. And Sunday we'll turn in the rental car and load up the trailer. Mark was able to employ the two sons of the wrecking yard owner to help with loading the basement items into the trailer. That task shouldn't take more than an hour or two with three men tackling it. While they're doing that, I will finish packing up the inside into boxes, and between the two of us, we should be able to get everything else done by the end of the day.

We received confirmation this week that the motorhome will indeed be scrapped. No word yet on the car. Monday we'll depart Miami and return to Valdosta where we'll stay until we decide on a new home. 

I trust God to supply our needs, but what we need more than anything right now is a clear sense of His will for us. Please help us pray for guidance as we move forward into the dark unknown.

With God, the future is ALWAYS bright!
...even when it seems dark.

Key Largo Calamity...and the Mercies of God

Leaving Sunshine Key RV Resort

Where to begin?...

If you follow our Facebook pages, you've already heard all about this, so please bear with me as I tell the story again for those who don't.

When we returned from our cruise at the end of January, we said goodbye to our family in Gainesville, and headed down to the Florida Keys where we had a reservation in an Encore Park on Ohio Key (which they renamed "Sunshine Key"). The park was newly rebuilt after it was virtually destroyed two years ago by Hurricane Irma (I believe it was Irma). Sunshine Key is such a popular destination that we were only able to get four days during the time frame we needed. But four days was better than nothing, and we enjoyed our time there. We went back to Key West, which was only an hour's drive, and spent most of a day there. The rest of the time, we hung out at our campsite and just enjoyed the warm weather. Little did we know it would be the last campground we'd visit in our "Follymobile"-- our home on wheels for the past year and a half.

You can see the debris strewn all the way back to the firetrucks

On Monday, February 4, we departed Sunshine Key on our way to Orlando where we planned to camp for two weeks. As we were driving north on the Overseas Highway (U.S. 1), somewhere around eleven o'clock in the morning, we were nailed by a heavy-duty septic tank truck that had slammed on its brakes to avoid hitting the car in front of him. The truck slid sideways on the road right into our lane. Mark tried to swerve onto the shoulder, but couldn't get over far enough and sideswiped the front of his cab. The impact sent us over on two wheels, but Mark (with the help of that guardian angel that must have been with us) managed to keep us upright and out of the ditch-- bless him! We were traveling about 45 mph when we hit so by the time we came to a stop, we'd traveled a little distance down the road. I can't imagine how this story might have ended had we gone over on our side... or, had I been wandering around in the coach at the time instead of buckled into my seat.

There were two other vehicles involved-- a little Toyota Rav4 that was rear-ended by the septic truck and a pickup truck. I'm still not sure how the pickup truck fit in, but when we get the full accident report, it will probably clarify that for us. The miracle is that no one was injured. God's mercy was abounding on that day!

All our sewer hoses in the street

When it was all over, the highway was littered with debris from our rig, northbound traffic was creeping by on the shoulder, and southbound traffic was detoured through a parking lot. It took almost three hours to clear all the vehicles off the road and get the traffic moving again.

I am reminded how much we all take for granted the normalcy of our lives. We expect every day to be just like the day before, and more or less the way we planned it to be. But the reality is that anything can happen at any moment to turn our world upside down. We don't plan for calamity.

After our rig came to a stop, we took that first moment to thank God for keeping us safe. Then Mark called 911 and reported the accident. Before we could exit the coach, a gentleman was banging on our door to make sure we were okay. Mark got out and assured everyone we were uninjured, though shaken up. When I looked back at the inside of the motorhome, I couldn't believe the mess I saw--broken glass and dishes strewn everywhere, smashed coffee cups in the sink, books tossed from the book rack. The inside was a disaster. I was heartsick.

Then I went outside and saw the rest of the damage! 

After I'd finished perusing the damage to the outside of the coach, Mark informed me the car had also been hit. The back driver's side was crushed. We were able to start the engine and back it off the trailer (which managed to sustain no damage), but the car was eventually declared undriveable because the rear tire was rubbing on the body. It would have to be towed as well.

The realization slowly began to dawn on me that we had lost everything.

This lovely lady, Nancy, came over to me when I emerged
from the coach, put her arms around me and gave me a
big hug. She is from a business across the street and offered
us shelter if we needed it-- water, restrooms, etc.

The fire department EMTs were the first to arrive on the scene. They blocked the road and rerouted traffic until the Highway Patrol arrived. The first order of business was to make sure all the people involved were cared for. As I mentioned, no one was injured and they all declined hospital assessment, including us. Because we were belted in, and because there was no significant jolt (more like a grinding scrape) and we came to a gradual stop, neither of us had so much as a sore muscle.

The officers from the Florida Highway Patrol were wonderful! I don't know how wonderful they were to the truck driver...but they were wonderful to us. Officer Roca kept us informed of the process and made himself available until the very end in case we had any questions.

Getting ready to tow to the wrecking yard

Clearing the road was the next critical task. It took quite a while to get everyone's vehicle towed out of the road-- ours was the last one. Once that was done, Mark got on the phone to the insurance company, and I got on the phone to rent a car. We decided to call Enterprise because they would come and pick us up, saving us a taxi fare.

By this time it was about 2:30 in the afternoon. While we were renting our car and eating lunch, our vehicles were towed to a wrecking yard where they would sit until our insurance company decided what to do with them.

And now we needed to find a hotel. The Keys have some beautiful hotels, but they are unacceptably pricey. In order to find "budget" accommodations we had to go almost an hour away to South Miami where we were able to get a week at an extended stay hotel, Woodspring Suites. We have a very nice room with a small kitchenette, immaculately clean and spacious enough to meet our temporary needs.

Wrecking your rig, especially when it's your one and only home, is every RVer's nightmare. As soon as you take it out on the road, you run that risk. When it happens, it's nothing less than devastating. But, frankly, losing your home can happen to anyone. Some people with beautiful brick and mortar homes lose them to fire. Some are lost to hurricanes or tornadoes. Some are lost to earthquakes. Loss is loss whether your home is on wheels or a foundation. It's important to keep things in perspective. All any RVer can do is manage that risk by keeping adequate insurance and by attentive and cautious driving.

So, what now?

Our home was insured. We will be able to replace it. We have an opportunity to get something better, or different. Mark has been talking about switching from trailering our car to flat-towing. Now we may be able to consider it. In short, as traumatic as it is to be involved in a crash, all is not lost. It is only temporarily disrupted. I don't know what God has for us next, but I know He is good. Everything we have we got from Him in the first place. And He has promised to meet our needs when we trust and depend on Him. 

Matthew 6:25-34"So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What shall we eat? What shall we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."

I'll try to post an update in the next day or two to follow up on what we've been doing since Monday. In the meantime, here are some more pictures of our "adventure"...

Everything in the driver's side basement compartments
is strewn in the road. These are the sewer hoses.

Second time this poor car's been crunched on this side :-(

The body is scraping on the tires and the rear door is smashed

Traffic is starting to flow again - they're back in the road

Another view from the rear

The little RAV4 that got rear-ended

An Ocean Cruise Break

We are back from our ostensibly "last hurrah" cruise. And so, of course, we're working on plans for the next one...par for the course. This post will be short on words and long on pictures because, well...a picture's worth a thousand words, right? And who wants to read that many words?

We had a wonderful time! Being out on the ocean (in calm seas) is one of my great joys. It reminds me of the greatness and majesty of God. I still can't figure out how water manages to hold up thousands of tons of steel, but  that's a topic for another time.

Our ship was the Carnival Sunshine, and the thirteen day cruise had seven ports and five sea days. All but one of the ports we've been to one or more times on previous cruises, but it's always fun to go back. At each place, we got off the ship and walked around the immediate area for an hour or so. Most of our time was spent on the ship in deck chairs, reading or, in my case, crocheting, or, in Mark's case, in the hot tub. Apart from a day or two with a few scattered showers, the weather was consistently warm and breezy, providing a much needed break from the chilly rainy climate we left behind.

Our one new port on this cruise was Amber Cove, Dominican Republic. What a beautiful green island! We contemplated an excursion there called, "Tastes of Dominican Republic," or something like that. It was a five and a half hour excursion that included visits to a coffee plantation, a chocolate factory, and a rum factory -- with tastings and lunch. Since we didn't plan it into our spending budget, we decided to save it for next time... if there is a next time.

I do love food. Food seemed to be the center of most of our activities. In Saint Thomas, I had to stop at the Belgian Chocolate Factory. While we were there, we had a light lunch at "Gringo's Cafe & Bar" where I indulged in a "Mexican Mudslide"-- coffee, ice cream, nutmeg and rum (of course)-- blended together. It was amazing! In Saint Maarten, my primary goal was to go to the French side and eat French pastries. Once we docked there however, my pastry cravings had subsided and I decided it wasn't worth spending the money for taxi fares just to gorge myself on sweets (probably my only bout of self-control during the entire cruise). In Aruba I found more chocolate. At our stop in San Juan, Mark and I found a little restaurant that served up Mofongo, one of Puerto Rico's traditional dishes that we both love. The dish is made with fried plantain topped with a saucy meat. It's delicious. One of these days I'll learn how to make it myself. In Amber Cove, we had a cup of their signature coffee and a dish of homemade mango ice cream (Mark passed on the ice cream).

But the highlight of the food experiences was the "Chef's Table." This is a special multi-course gourmet dinner hosted by one of Carnival's chefs, which includes a tour of the galley. It's an elegant meal, catered to a maximum of twelve or thirteen guests. As it's served, the chef describes each dish and how it was prepared. The whole event lasted about three hours and included a short time of entertainment by a "magician" who delighted us all with card tricks and such. We got back to our cabin about nine thirty, and I slept sitting up most of the night. As a matter of fact, I spent most nights sitting up, at least for the first three or four hours. It is the price of too many breads and sweets and eating too late in the evening. Toward the end of our cruise, I was making better choices and managing the indigestion somewhat.

For some reason, I decided to take along with me some remedies for a cold-- elderberry syrup and nasal decongestant, just in case. And I'm glad I did, About half way along, I came down with a head cold that lasted two or three days. There must have been a few sickies on that boat, because I wasn't back two days when I came down with a nasty stomach virus that kept me in bed (or in the bathroom) for a day and a half. I guess that's the hazard you face when you spend two weeks confined on a ship with four thousand or so random people.

We are indebted to my brother, Paul, and his wife Amy for allowing us to park our motorhome in their driveway for the duration of our cruise. We added a couple days on each side to spend some time visiting with them.

My final note before I close is dedicated to my beautiful furry companion of almost nineteen years, Sweetie Pie, our calico cat. We had made all the preparations for my brother, Lee, to take care of her in our absence--the original reason for parking our RV at Paul's. A few days before we were scheduled to leave on our cruise, Sweetie started showing signs that she wasn't well-- wobbling when she walked, listlessness, incontinence, and not eating. She was skin and bones. It was with great difficulty that Mark and I decided it was time to say goodbye to her. My haunting fear was that she would die while we were gone, alone and feeling abandoned. That wouldn't do. And we didn't want to saddle Lee with the responsibility of dealing with a sick and dying animal. So with sadness of heart, we bundled her up and took our last trip to the vet. She fell asleep peacefully in my lap on January 13 after living a long and comfortable life. I will miss her.

More pictures from our cruise...

Coming into Saint Thomas

Walking through the streets & allies of Saint Thomas

Lounging on the upper "Serenity" deck

Boats in the Saint Thomas harbor

Hopping a ride on the free train trolley in Aruba

Aruba

A shopping/hotel plaza in Aruba

There I am (that tiny person in the "C") in Curacao!

The iconic walking bridge in Curacao that connects the
two port towns (whose names I can't remember).

The colorful buildings that line the channel in Curacao.

Dutch influence in Curacao

View from the pier in Curacao (one of our favorite port stops)

Lounging on the deck in Saint Kitts...I didn't get off here;
I was sick with a cold.

Chilling in our cabin. Another sick day. I spent it crocheting.

Ocean sunset.

I believe this is a statue of Columbus. It stands in the
town square in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Tug boat patrolling against the shallow water in Amber Cove.

Docking in Amber Cove, Dominican Republic.

Wave action. It was an extremely windy day (Amber Cove)

Space for only two ships at Amber Cove. We're on the right.

Sailing away from Amber Cove was a bit treacherous.
This ship ran into a little trouble...and maybe a sandbar.

The tug returning to guide us out of Amber Cove.

Ten days of "towel animals"...a Carnival tradition.

A penguin with chicks. These Carnival sculptors
can get pretty creative with their towel animals!