Bill and Cathy McArthur on the Road 2009: 15

  Monday, November 9, we all awoke early. The local McArthurs got ready for a "typical" Monday, while Bill and Cathy loaded the XTerra and the RV. Son Bill, Stacey, and the kids left around 8 AM. Bill and Cathy waited until 9 AM for the traffic to lessen. They got on the road and headed south on Route 400, using cell phones, Bluetooth, and GPS for communications and navigation. Traffic was moderate, but challenging for the two vehicle convoy. We finally got on I75 which made navigation, if not driving, a simple matter. This was Cathy's longest day of driving ever! We took a break in the morning for a Double Shot for Cathy and a Red Bull for Bill. We ate lunch at a Subway. In the afternoon, we took another break for Double Shots for both of us. We finally reached our campground in Ocala, FL at around 5 PM. After settling in, we drove to Carrabbas for dinner. We were pretty tired when we finally got to bed.

  Tuesday, we got up around 6 AM, got the vehicles ready, and drove the XTerra to the nearby Cracker Barrel for oatmeal breakfasts. We got back on the road around 8 AM. It was a shorter, but not short drive to Naples on I75. We were both very happy to roll into Rock Creek RV Resort a bit after noon. We parked on Site 190, plugged in, and drove to Tin City to eat a waterfront lunch at the Riverwalk Restaurant. It was a beautiful day of about 89 degrees. We enjoyed our first grouper in a while. After lunch, we went to the office and checked-in. Then, we did the necessary chores to stay the night and headed to Starbucks and Publix for shopping. We had leftover quiche, carried from New Jersey, for dinner. Our GFI circuit went out after dinner and we couldn't get it reset even after Bill replaced the GFI outlet in the bathroom. We used an extension cord from our other circuit to function. We didn't have Internet in the RV, but had basic cable TV. It rained overnight.

  Wednesday was Veterans Day. Bill called Naples RV and scheduled a repair visit. We brought both of our laptops to the office and worked for a while online. We ate lunch in the RV. After lunch, we worked on organizing the RV. Bill discovered that he could reset the GFI circuit and called off the repair visit. We went back to Publix for a few items. We walked for 3.5 miles in the afternoon around the airport and then attended Happy Hour at the Gazebo. Afterward, Bill made a quinoa meal and grilled chicken for Cathy.

  Thursday was overcast and chilly. Bill washed the RV and set up an entertainment center on the right side of the loft. Cathy did laundry. We brought the laptops back to the office. After lunch, we organized some more. We took a 3.5 mile walk. After cleaning up, we drove downtown and parked at the garage near 5th Avenue. We discovered that it was Second Thursday on South Fifth, and evening of live music along the business district. We ate a $29 special dinner at Cafe Luna. The food was ordinary, but cheap.

  Friday was beautiful, but a bit cool and windy. Bill worked on organizing the "basement" while waiting for the cable guy. He talked with Jim Sosna and got a report about the big nor'easter which was hammering the coast. The Comcast tech arrived around 10 AM. Bill had everything ready, so the installation was very simple. Bill turned down the offer to hook up his wireless router, since it was working here last year. Bill struggled for a couple of hours to get the wireless system working with our laptops. The main problem was that he had to change the IP number for the router. Then, Cathy's Windows 7 laptop showed poor networking functionality, so Bill had to reset the router and reconfigure it with a new wireless network name. Finally it was all working and we ate lunch in the RV. Bill decided that Windows requires a minimum number of f-bombs before it will cooperate. After lunch, we finished organizing our campsite and the RV storage areas. We went back to Publix and Bill had to call Dr. Schutz's office to try to get a refill for his Allopurinol prescription, which we had dropped off on Tuesday. Cathy walked 3.5 miles while Bill rode his bike for 7 miles on our usual path. Bill made a cappuccino in the RV and we went to Happy Hour. Afterward, Cathy made a pasta dinner. We viewed "Frost/Nixon" from On Demand during and after dinner. The GFI circuit crapped out again after dinner, for no logical reason. Bill got out the extension cord again.

  Saturday was another sparkling day. We both caught up on computer work for most of the morning after Bill was able to reset the GFI circuit again. After lunch, we took our first walk downtown and to the beach with Flat Stephanie. After some photos, we headed back to Starbucks and then browsed a craft show in Cambier Park. We looked around Tin City for T-shirts and other props for the welcome home party coming up next Saturday night. We stopped at Oakes Farm Market on the way back to the RV. We arrived back just in time to head over to Happy Hour. Later, we grilled burgers for dinner. The GFI circuit behaved all day.

  Sunday was beautiful and warm. Bill did a short weightlifting workout and then we went for a 3.5 mile walk. He and Cathy completed a difficult Sunday Times crossword puzzle with no errors. After lunch, we drove downtown and parked at Tin City. We schlepped our NASCAR chairs to Cambier Park and set up in a patch of sunlight for the free band concert. Bill picked up a cappuccino from Starbucks. We enjoyed the patriotic concert and Cathy teared up during one of the numbers. Afterward, we drove to Walmart and bought a dozen golf balls. When we got back to the RV, Bill used a 1/2 inch bit to drill a hole through one of the balls as a test. We stopped by Bud and Marty's RV and then joined them at Happy Hour. Bill learned about a new route south that goes through Athens and circles down to below Macon. We will think about doing that next year when we leave Son Bill and Stacey's to head to Florida. We went to Bonefish Grill and sat at the bar to enjoy a great dinner. When we returned, we viewed the remake of "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" - very slick with an outstanding cast.

        Bill and Cathy