The Bill and Kit Excellent Adventure Journal-Issue #5

Monday, January 26, 2009:

Most mornings I wake up grumpy…..but today I let her sleep which made her even surlier. Since I’m kind of a morning person sometimes we clash most anytime before noon. Today as she was scowling at the computer I picked up a nearby object and fashioned a mechanical smile.

Today has been proclaimed an official “Goof Off Day”. We have been on the go so much the laundry is piled up and the cupboards are bare. So I did the following: Washed the trailer from stem to stern-top to bottom, washed the truck and cleaned out the interior. Kit did laundry and supervised the above. Then we both took a walk and saw geckos scurrying about and a few Sand Hill Cranes…..those are humungous birds, in flight they look like bombers…..and sometimes they are. Then we sat by the pool and joined the other pensioners in the daily activity of complaining about the government.

While cleaning off the trailer roof I noticed a 4 foot twig lodged in a vent on the roof that had hitchhiked all the way from Brunswick. With great fanfare I presented it to Dave (of David and Betty), a Maine ex-pat, who really misses his birthplace and her majestic conifers. During his acceptance speech he said “When I think of Maine I pine and even balsam”……sorry, couldn’t help that one.

Since this is a quiet day……(for some reason Kit isn’t talking to me)…..I should explain some more peculiarities about Lucy (remember Lucy?). The synthesized voice must receive the info for speaking by discerning the words on the map and occasionally it gets confused (Remember on the GOFETCHIT trip when Lucy successfully guided us to Aunt Vi’s in Minnesota and proudly announced we had arrived in Virgin Islands?) Well, early in this trip as we were leaving Massachusetts, Lucy had us on the lookout for Court 28. What she meant was CT (Connecticut) and here in Florida she really mangled Minnehaha Road by calling it Miniuhuhuhuhuh.

Tuesday, January, 27, 2009:

Today is proclaimed an official day of culture. Following breakfast we made a pilgrimage to Lazy Days RV Center about 20 miles south. It is advertised as the largest RV center in the world and one look at the place confirms that claim. We went there to visit Campers World, a huge super store. One of the axioms of RV ownership is that one must match the purchase price of the RV with expenditure on “needed” accessories and gadgets. After the fork lift had loaded our purchases in the truck we had lunch at their resident Bob Evans. A great local chain restaurant with great food. The RV Sales lot had no less than 250 units. We say many large expensive motorhomes and a few motorcoach’s (what they are called when they cost over 7 figures) that were $1,750,000.00. The recession has apparently not hit the older retiree as these huge motorhomes drove in and out of the place, most all of them being driven by no one. Well I couldn’t see anyone in the drivers’ seats. Just a pair of wrinkled and very tanned hands gripping the steering wheel.

On the journey to the RV Megalopolis we came across this strange sight in the middle of nowhere.

I’m assuming it is a very inexpensive RV park as the lots are small and there doesn’t appear to be any hookups. Must be hard to make breakfast however. Kit said it is probably just another piece Florida roadside culture.

Back in Lakeland we sought out the campus of Florida Southern College. In 1938 architect Frank Lloyd Wright was commissioned to design and supervise the building of a “great education temple in Florida”. He drew up plans for a total of 18 structures of which twelve were built. The entire campus is a functioning university and historic architectural museum. All buildings are open to the public and there are brochures available for self guided tours. The place is incredible as you can tell by the following. Thanks Dan and Polly for the tip.

This place is incredible! We only spent a few hours walking around but could have spent more time to really see all the unusual details this imaginative architect designed into the buildings and furniture. As Frank Lloyd Wright said during construction; he intended to build the campus “out of the ground, into the light, a child of the sun”.

This guy was painting the building above (top photo of four).

We stood in front of the building for about three hours in hopes of getting in his picture…..but when we walked down to look…..no luck. Much to our chagrin, he had been painting the roof tower that whole time.

The gardens were pretty incredible as well. PS…..note the Maine tans. That will change!!!

Kathy and Bill - Campus of Florida Southern College

All in all a great day!

Love, Dad/Mom, Poppy/Guma, Bill/Kit