2010 FOTR Rally

This weekend we crashed the 2010 Families on the Road Rally at Jetty Park in Cape Canaveral. While we really didn't crash, per se, we were the only family that attended that is not traveling fulltime- yet...

We headed up to the Cape on Thursday morning and arrived at Jetty Park, a campground in the shadow the cruise ships docked in Port Canaveral.

This was the first trip we packed up the golf cart and it worked out really well, as the campground was large with a playground, beach access and a 1200 ft fishing pier.

The best part of having the golf cart was chasing down the cruise ships to the end of the jetty. This was one of the kids' favorite activities.

On Thursday night there was a bon fire. Many families brought their Christmas trees to burn. Despite the warnings that these trees burn at an alarming rate, we could not get a good fire going... until someone handed Chris a can of gasoline... Why Chris became the "gas man" I am not sure but after much chanting, he created a huge pyre - although it was very temporary. Eventually a new fire formation was created and we were all able to roast marshmallows, hot dogs and starbursts.

On Friday the Goza's put on one of their plays for all the families. Everyone loved the folk tales! Later, we headed to the WORLD FAMOUS RON JON SURF SHOP - where the boys begged us to buy them... surfboards - no, bathing suits - no, space shuttles - yes! Tonia got an adorable pair of Roxy flip flops!

Then we headed back to the campground for some Weird Science which was making boogers, soda / mentos' fountains and some powdered liquid - the boys spent hours playing with Nerf guns and climbing trees and Tonia ran wild.

Friday night there was a pot luck dinner with an outdoor screening of UP! and the FOTR Family Movie. Everyone really enjoyed themselves and we all slept like babies!

Saturday morning we headed to the pier for some fishing - we caught nothing but rocks! Then we headed back to the gathering area for some tie-dying fun. I can't wait to see how our creations come out.

Right before dinner we all headed to the beach for relay races and sand castle building. Dominic was determined to dig his way to the water - but we ran out of time and had to leave the big hole for someone else to finish.

We headed out to Grills Tiki Bar and had a great dinner. The boys ate like starving children - they had worked up quite an appetite with all the hours they had spent playing. Tonia slept through dinner and woke up just in time for dessert.

On Sunday morning, the families had a pancake breakfast and then we all headed out in various directions across the US.

The families we met were diverse, unique and shared a common thirst for adventure. We learned so much from all of them and look forward to crossing paths again!

Gentleman, Start Your Engines!

Is it possible to go to Daytona and not become a Nascar Convert? I seriously doubt it. A convent of nuns could head over to the track and they would all have switched out their habits for some numbered visors and autographed jackets!

We had a great time touring the track and the museum. Then we trekked over to Daytona Beach for a quick frolic in the sea. We ate in a great restaurant where the tables are wedged into old race cars. Gives new meaning for "one for the road".

Now we are looking forward to the day we can drag the beast to the raceway and camp in the infield with 1000's of our closest (meant literally) friends and no sewer hook up! You have to have a dream!

Always Leave the Keys EARLY! A Cautionary Tale.

Ahh - Island time! It is a gentle breeze that wafts over you as you cross your first bridge off the mainland and into the Florida Keys. For a moment, the kids stop screaming "are we there yet" - they know we have ARRIVED! Even if we're going to be in the car for 3 more hours!!! The crystal blue water surrounding you and your tow vehicle is mezmerizing and so you finally begin to relax and stop cursing the pioneers that decided Florida should be a super skinny, but super long state.

We headed south to Sunshine Key, a caravan from Delray Beach. In tow were, the VanSants - always first to arrive and then continually calling "are you here yet?". This is the perfect compliment to the kids (see their song above).

Then Travaglino II, + my mom. And pulling up the rear, Travaglino the originals. The purpose of our pilgrimage to the tropics was Blaise's 5th birthday.

When we arrived we were pelted by blood crazed mosquitos. This is always the best conditions for setup. After driving 4 hours, there's nothing better than handling the sewage system while being assaulted by insects. I could tell Chris was loving it, just by his tone of voice.

The next morning, we headed to Bahia Hondo State Park. The crystal blue water was warmer than a Poconos jacuzzi, but it was wet which was the only criteria necessary for survival at this point. It was a great beach all in all and I would really like to go back and explore it in the cooler month (no, not a typo - there's only one).

That night, we partied "'til we were purple" at a great tiki bar called Boondocks. The staff there was so accomodating - they even had a kids table set up for us. The food was good, the company was great and Blaise even got a train for his birthday! What more could you ask for?

The next day we decided to melt, I mean head to the Dolphin Research Center. What a great place! Like everything in the Keys, its very unstructured, but rich in diversity and educational opportunities. We roamed the entire facility, checking out dolphins, sea lions and interesting factoids. The boys and my mom squeezed in a dolphin encounter and we ended our trip with a dancing dolphin show. It was a lot of fun and I highly recommend it.

From the DRC, we headed south to the Keys Fishery for a delicious and affordable dinner.

As always, the sunsets in the Keys are majestic and we were able to experience a weekend full. Everything was working out beautifully until...

We awoke Sunday morning to a flurry of activity at the VanSants site next to ours. With one bleary eye open and my head still firmly planted on my pillow, I watched them buzz around their camper like a swarm of bees, preparing the hive for the departure of the queen.

I am, of course, accustomed to this behavior, because as I said before, they are ALWAYS FIRST. Travaglino's, the original and II, lounged around, took a final swim in the pool and finally headed out of the campground at around 11:30am. WHAT A MISTAKE! VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY Long story; short: 12 hours, a $75 ticket and an unsanctioned nap at John Pennekamp park... later - we finally arrived in our driveway.

keep your kids close and your camper keys closer!

We have just returned from a wonderful weekend in Vero Beach / Sebastian, Fl.

We set out Friday morning (the family of five + two fat caterpillars) and took our time heading north. We stopped at a restaurant in Vero called the Patio and... ate on the outside patio. It was a nice break - but as always, finding a place to park "the beast" can be quite a challenge.

After that we headed further north to the Vero / Sebastian border and set up camp at the Sunshine Travel Inn. The campground is really great! Clean, quiet, the pool is beautiful, there's mini golf, a play ground and the lots are all paved.

We hit the pool right away and then cleaned up and headed out to the Vero Beach Airport where the Red Cross was hosting a Hurricane Hangar Party with the LandSharks - dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun ... you get it. We all had a really good time at the party... I had an exceptional time after I finished my bucket of vodoo juice :) and then we headed back to the camper for a late dinner and an early night.


The next day, we found Wabaso beach and spent most of the morning playing in the surf and sand. The water was rough and there were quite a few surfers "hangin' ten". There was even a Geocache on the boardwalk, but some how it evaded me.




After we were sufficiently waterlogged, we headed to Mulligan's on the Beach for lunch. Its very similar to the Mulligan's in Lauderdale by the Sea. The food was good and the atmosphere was great - but in retrospect, I wish we had found some where else more unique to the area.










Then... naptime! We headed back to the camper and took a swim / sleep break. There was another family with a site just across from ours and the kids loved playing with "the Reeds". There was much bike riding and baseball to play into the wee hours of dusk.

Sunday we woke up late, went for a quick Geocache right outside the campground entrance - this one we successfully found - swam a bit more and then started packing up.

We took our time on the way home and even stopped at Palm Beach RV - our favorite place to go and not buy anything. We especially like to do this on Sundays for some reason.

Unfortunately, we walked away empty handed - but this time we were too empty handed. Somewhere between Palm Beach RV and our house, our camper keys fell off the truck bed - where we had left them for "safe keeping". :(

After several hours of playing "where are the keys" and "you have them" / "no, you have them" we resigned to agree to disagree. None of this effort got us any closer to opening the camper or unhitching (the equipment was securely locked up)!

The next morning, a locksmith was dispatched. If you are looking for a career change, I would seriously look into locksmithing! The man spent no more than 30 seconds trying to PICK the three locks on the beast. The last one opened, but the other two counted so the whole episode cost $120! What other job can you get paid 100% for a 66% failure rate - incredible!

Well, we learned our lesson - from now on we'll stop being so vigilant and keep the camper unlocked!

Countdown to Disney

Well, its been a while (3 months ish) and so its time to make our quarterly pilgrimage to "the mouse". Its also been way too long since we all slept in the camper! Although - I made a trek out to the guest house last night to try out our new bed topper. What can I say... any bed is comfortable when you are FINALLY the only one sleeping in it!



I just returned from grocery shopping for said camping trip and was happy to come in under budget with $55+ in savings. Lots of food = happy kids = happy parents!



Soon, I will be making the curtains for the queen bedroom in the camper and pocket organizers for the kids bunks. If I could summon the energy, I would be doing that rather than this.



I'm reading the book "Alive" about the South American Rugby Team that crashed into the Andes in 1972. Its fascinating. Of course the most salicious part is that they ate the other crash victims, and although this is exceedingly hard to stomach (pardon the pun), it actually makes perfect sense. Anyone with a will to survive would have been compelled to do exactly the same.

Ok- think of those previous paragraphs as a flashback and fast forward with me 2+ weeks.

Disney was wonderful! One of the best trips I've had in a long time. We hit just the right pace, which means Chris got a lot of nap time in, the kids were able to do most of what they wanted to do and I was not exhausted.

We met up with Kim, Greg and Matthew from Alabama and had a wonderful time touring the parks with them.

The VanSants were also there to celebrate TJ's 3rd birthday- so there was a critical mass of Kims in the park!

While we were there, we decided to shift our summer vacation plans from North West GA to North East AL and hang out with the Beairds at the lake. We're all very excited about our summer retreat. But before we head north, we'll squeeze in one more short trip further south (yes - there's still land mass after Palm Beach) and have Blaise's birthday party in the Keys!

Me and My Serger.

I am in love! I am having an affair with my brand new Kenmore Serger. Today I stitched up 25 wash clothes (from a beach towel) and two napkins. I can't believe it is possible to sew this fast - my head is still spinning. Serging is an amazing combination of getting the creativity out in record time. Tomorrow I'm going to tackle a tiered skirt. I'll have to post of pic of the finished product. Stay tuned!

We Made It!!! BINGO!

We have just come home from a great camping weekend. Not completely unscathed... but no worse for wear. Our trip started with an instant U-turn because we had forgot some of our essential (according to Kim) camping gear. Somehow, Chris was able to pull our 32 foot behemoth into the most crowded gas station in Delray at rush hour! Chris is AMAZING!
After leaving home for the second time, we headed south to Pembroke Pines - destination: CB Smith Park. We arrived about an hour later and we were completely set up in a half hour!!! What a difference from our earlier hybrid camper (and of course our even earliest pop up!).
Chris' dad had arrived before us and was also set up right across from us.

The campground was empty but loud! There was a party going on somewhere. Within an hour, Chris' mom and grandmother arrived and we all sat down to some bbq'd chicken.

After that, the boys and I took a bike ride to find out what all the noise was about. A 5 min ride away - we found the source - there was a Camp In fundraiser being held right across the creek.

When we got back to the campsite we found a new delight... the lightening bugs were rising by the river bank. The kids and I tried to catch some, while trying to not be eaten by any alligators (always a hazard in So. Fla).

Then, there was an odd request for an extra nightgown - not something I carry in quantity, but Chris was able to provide his grandmother with an oversized tee shirt.

We all went to sleep with visions of a water park dancing in our head.

We woke up to a new world. In the middle of the night, Coco had chewed up Grammy's hearing aid, and some how her glasses were all mangled. Add to that that she had realized that she had forgot to pack underwear :) There's nothing better than a blind, hearing impaired grandmother going commando at the campground! Karyn and Trav set out to make things better.

They returned with some undies and a "loud n clear" hearing amplifier. Now, not only could she hear, but she was guaranteed to win all the Bingo games she attended. She looked like she was on the phone the entire weekend - but she was a tremendous trooper and showed her true grit!

After a quickie breakfast, we all headed to the Paradise Cove water park, which is in CB Smith park. We were among the first attendees and were able to stake our claim on some prime water park real estate (even snagging a table).

Time to hit the slides - not so fast. The water was FREEZING and since it was still early in the morning - it wasn't really hot out yet. But we're not quitters so blue lips and shaky limbs - we (not really me - I was more willing to sacrifice the kids) conquered the park. The park is great - its a good size with attractions for all ages. There are life guards everywhere, plenty of seating and a number of concession areas. Definitely worth another visit.

Later that day we joined up with our camping buddies, Darby, Mike, Riley and Molly. It was great to see them again and the kids were fast friends just as last time.

We had a cook out, did some fishing and hung out.

The next morning, the rain clouds were threatening so we started packing up early after a delicious bacon and egg breakfast. Darby and I took the kids to the play ground while the all the other grown ups packed the campers.

Then... minutes from hooking up... disaster struck! Our slide stopped working. Thank goodness this happened in the "in position" as it is dangerous... and illegal to drive with your living room hanging over into the other lane.

There was a great deal of cranking, neck craning and grumbling, but with the rain fast on our heels we decided to hook up, haul out and deal with it when we got home.

A quick perusal of the manual (which is much more useful if you actually bring it with you!) led us to the slide's manual overdrive which immediately fixed the problem! Thank you, Lord!!!

So now, our camper sits, until Disney or inspiration hits (whichever comes first).