Widow Brain

 We spent Friday night packing up. After spending two weeks there we were pretty spread out. We had to be out by 10 am so we wanted to have most of our work done so we could have a stress free exit. I got up early to see the sunrise here for the last time. I was a little late and left with flip flops and without an extra coat. It was cold out so it wasn’t going to be a long walk for me that day!

We were all set to go and were in a good mood. It wasn’t supposed to take too long to get to St Simons Island. As we were approaching the very high bridge to get to the Island, I was very nervous. It looked like the bridge that my truck lost power over on our last trip only a little higher. We made it over, even though we were going slower than most. The road past that bridge was also very narrow. With my knuckles white we made it to our cottage. But we were early and had to waste some time. We checked out the cottage and it looked like someone was still there. Christine called the realtor and he gave us some bad news. We weren’t suppose to arrive till the next day…..Oh dear. Widow brain strikes again. We did the same thing last year. Now I have to go over that damn bridge again!

We found some parking and started to research for an RV park. There were a few but because it was a holiday weekend most required a 3 day stay. We found something not too far away for only one night. It was their last spot! We felt lucky. When we pulled in we were happily surprised to see that we were right on the water. It seemed like one of the best spots to be. It made our mistake feel a little better. It was our first time in this kind of RV Resort. Big bus campers lined up one after another. We didn’t care to much for it, but we did like our spot. We looked like the youngest ones there, lolAfter sunset, it began to rain. We lucked out with the weather again.It was only going to rain that night. But rain on a tin can was very noisy. Christine loved it, but I didn’t sleep much that night. The next morning we left just as it was clearing, but it was windy, and I was worried about going back over that damn bridge. I asked a gentlemen neighbor if he thought we would have trouble going over it because it was so windy. He thought we would be ok and proceeded to give us advise on good restaurants there.People are so nice down here! Polite and are happy to chat with you. After our expert demise from the resort we headed for the bridge. I was terrified but tried to keep it together. Christine gave me pep talks to help me get over it. And we did it with ease. I was so relieved. When we got to our cottage someone was still there, and when we talked them the day before, they told us we could get in early. After another talk with our realtor they said there was a problem with the cottage and they upgraded us. It wasn’t right on the beach, but it wasn’t far. After seeing our McMansion, we were  overwhelmed with how big and pretty it was. We were very pleased.

Amelia Island

 Feeling melancholy knowing we are leaving Amelia Island tomorrow. We have been here two weeks and the weather has been amazing!  Knowing that at home they are in a deep freeze helps us to appreciate things more here. I have been getting up every morning for the sunrise and enjoying a two mile walk taking pictures and hunting for treasures on the beach. What a great way to begin the day! Christine can’t seem to manage the early hours. I almost got her for one!

We have really unwound from the RV days. The day after picking up my truck, we went out to do a painting. We finally got to paint Amelia Light. The tide and the light was perfect! We were meeting everyone here! People were so nice! Later we met up with Christine’s friends Dianne and Brian who came up from Naples and had a nice meal.

We met this lovely lady Erma who actually knew a friend of mine. She tried to get a workshop going here,  but couldn’t get it going on such short notice. She invited us to her beautiful home and offered us wine and a cheese tray. The next day we invited her to paint with us. She ended up buying a painting from the both of us! We met a lot of lovely people here. One gentleman actually gave me a handful of shark teeth he had just found! We even saw someone who looked exactly like Glenn!

We really loved it here. It was so quiet and peaceful. We actually got another week at our comfy cottage. A stark difference from being here last year. Last year was so filled with tears and overwhelming grief. This year we were really trying to move on from it. By the end of our visit we believe we made some progress. After seeing a fire in New York , I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself. I did the best I could have with  taking care of Glenn, and I don’t believe he would want me sad for so long. I truly felt like a weight was taken off my shoulders. The last night’s beautiful sky nature presented us made it feel like I was right. Notice the heart over Christine’s head! A sure sign from Rick!

Getting over the Bridge

 Leaving St Augustine, we felt like pros packing up. We were both in good moods and were feeling hopeful. We loved Amelia Island and were looking forward to staying in a house. The RV was closing in.

The traffic was light and the scenery was gorgeous. I was thinking that the truck was running really well and was almost purring. There were a lot of bridges in Florida. Ahead was a huge bridge. Really high. It was scary to drive over it without an RV on the back. As we were climbing, the truck sounded like it was laboring. Getting loud as it struggled. Just as we made it to the top, it seemed like the engine blew. My biggest fear! The car was still on, but no power and no brakes! I was freaking out and Christine didn’t have a clue what was happening. We rolled to the bottom of the bridge and fortunately there was a shoulder we could park on but it was next to an exit and it was scary to be there.

As Christine called AAA, I sat worrying about how much this was all going to cost. AAA said they needed to send two tow trucks. One for the truck and one for the RV, then we had to find our own way home due to COVID restrictions, we weren’t allowed to drive along. Since it was a holiday and New Years weekend, therere would be a long wait. I called my sister to tell her what happened and she had a few good suggestions. One to call Sam’s RV towing. They could take both vehicles at the same time. Also, to have them both towed to the cottage. Sam’s said it would take about two hours, about the same as AAA so we canceled AAA. Sam,s also called the police for us to get a Highway Ranger to keep us safe. Well, no one was showing up. It was hot and we were very uncomfortable. We were in a terrible spot. People were heading off the exit and changed their minds crossing over three lanes to get back on the expressway. Other cars were pulling over on both sides. At one point I saw a mattress blow off someone’s roof and people were swerving all around us to avoid it. Then they went onto the expressway to collect it! Morons! They are lucky they didn’t get killed or get us killed. I called the police to report it, but they never came. I called them again to try to get us protected. They went to another stranded RV on the other side. They actually sent two rangers there while we had none! We were flabbergasted! After two hours I called Sam’s again and they told me the tow truck canceled on us!!! They never even let us know! So Sam’s ordered another one and again asked the police to assist us. Finally some Highway Rangers came. They had no idea what was wrong. They said nothing looked wrong. And because we didn’t appear to be in enough danger, they left us there!!! Another few hours went by and some Good Samaritans stopped and offered their help. They said they had seen us hours before. They offered to tow both vehicles to our cottage!!!! How nice was that? Truly nice folks! But as I was unhitching.the tow truck finally came. Only 5 hours later! We were so grateful to see him. It took about 45 minutes to reach the cottage. As he was backing in the RV, he dented it! What an awesome finish to a horrible day! Christine was beside herself… At least we liked the cottage and we looked forward to sleeping in a bed that night.

The next day I had the truck towed to Sonya’ on Amelia Island. A few people recommended them. The next day around 3 they called to tell me it was simply a fuse replacement kit and it cost $47 for the part and $250 for the labor. As ridiculous as that was I was so relieved it wasn’t the engine, I nearly skipped the 3 miles to pick it up. I was joyful! As I walked there I realized we were right next to Clinch Fort and a scene I desperately wanted to paint last year. I was one happy lady when I got back!

St Augustine… Next Stop

St Augustine is Florida’s first city. This is my second visit here. Both times with the pandemic. We have driven through the old town, but never felt the need to explore these tiny streets. It felt like another tourist trap. No one wore masks. Very crowded. Pretty, but we have seen enough that we didn’t need to stop. It is surely picturesque!

We found our campground. Christine did her research! She found a great spot…. But I had to back in. I had never done it before. The campground in front had their Jeep parked in a bad spot. After a few tries, I really wanted to give up, but I managed it! Later, I saw a man back into the site next to me and I looked professional next to him, hurray!

It is easy to want to relax after the work we put into driving to our spot and setting up. Yet we explored. We really wanted to paint but we were exhausted. So, guess what we decided to do? Find another place to eat. We liked it here at Auntie Kate’s. We could walk there and take the dog. But we waited over an hour (or two). Finally, we got served. Loved our food and were satiated.

With our bellies full, we went to the beach. With no stairs or ramp it was hard to walk down the steep slope with all of our gear. Once set up we heard a band setting up on the deck of a house behind us. They sounded great and I got excited to come back and see them for my New Years Eve. I did a painting on the beach. It’s weird when no one cares when you are painting. But no one seemed interested in what I was doing except a young surfer dude. I really didn’t like what I was doing anyway…

Leaving with all of our gear made me nervous cause Christine wrenched her back and the way out was a tall cliff of sand, but a family coming by took control and between all of them, we were up in seconds! I was so relieved. That night I was itching to see that band but Christine didn’t feel well and I was too chicken to go by myself so we stayed in and listened to everyone celebrating into the next day. I was so depressed.

The next day I woke up early and took a 3 mile walk reflecting on my new empty life. It was foggy out so it matched my mood. But it was pretty still. I cried almost the whole time. Missing my old life and wondering what was in store for me. I hear it’s common for widows to feel this way at this at this point of their widowhood. Just feeling lost…

One of my Facebook friends told me of some interesting places to visit so we went on a little adventure. Our first stop was Princess Preserve Estate park. It was beautiful there. The first in-ground swimming pool in the country and still working.

It was hot and we were on the fence on what to paint so we headed for Bings landing. It was more upscale there. We heard there was a great BBQ joint there, so that was our motivation. But it was very crowded and too frenetic to bother so we headed home. We stopped at the Vilano Beach Peir. It was pretty with a lot of people fishing off it. Getting hungry we went to all of the restaurants in the area but being a holiday, everything was packed. So we made a nice meal at the RV.

Celestial Farm Animal Rescue

 Back to boondocking, we reserved a place with the Celestial Farm Animal Rescue, also a Harvest Host.We were early so we had to find something to do so naturally we found some place to eat. We were near a sprawling mall with every kind of store you can imagine. When we saw a Carrabbas and there was outdoor seating, we settled right in. We have been trying to eat healthy while traveling. I was dying for their steak. I have never been disappointed with this restaurant and I wasn’t today either. Enough for two more meals! With our bellies full, we headed back to the farm. They were having a fundraising event and it was just about over. There were animals walking around freely everywhere! The light was beautiful and the place looked awesome! But the sun goes down quickly so we couldn’t get a painting in.

That evening while trying to keep busy with no internet we heard a helocopter outdoors. It was right over us! We went to look out the window and there was a search light on the house next to us. We were the only ones on this back lot and the farm was pitch black! We were nervous that they were looking for an escaped convict or something equally disturbing. They continued to circle around our RV for an hour at times hitting us with their light. We locked all of our doors and tried to get some sleep.