Tavares Classic Boat Show -- Rick is Delighted!

Tavares, FL hosts a large, classic boat show each year and Rick was excited to attend. This show features amazing boats from the golden era of boating -- focusing on the late 20's to the 50's. Boats like this magnificent 1927 Chris-Craft shows us how boating used to be. 

Rick is in his glory looking at the amazing boats and motors. He loved this late 1950's Evinrude Lark 35hp outboard. He had an early 60's version of this same motor -- of course when Rick had it, the motor was just "old" and not yet a classic.

Walt, a friend of Rick's from the RV park, has owned several classic boats like this Chris Craft. Walt knew all about these wooden masterpieces and seemed to really enjoy the show as well. 

One of the cool features of this show is that most of these boats are actually used and as a result, we can see them in action. The owners of these boats are real enthusiasts as they restore and operate boats that might be 80 or more years old. Pretty cool!

Rick and Walt got a real kick out of the several race boats that were present, including this Baby Gar boat, built by Mr. Garfield Wood. This 33' boat was built for speed and looked it as it tooled by us.

Speaking of speed, how about this Gar Wood boat -- "Miss America IX" which in 1930, was the first boat in the world to exceed 100 miles an hour. Today, the restored boat operated twin Chevy 454 engines and is every bit as potent as it was in 1930. 

Back in 1930, Mr. Wood installed twin Packard supercharged engines, with each one developing over 1,200 hp! Yikes -- imagine a boat this size with 2,400 hp and made of wood. This restoration is amazing and really brings the past to life today. 

A Picnic for the E-Fliers at Old Mill Stream

 

We have had a great season here at the Old Mill Stream RV Resort and have really enjoyed the electric RC Flyers club here at the park. Now that the season is winding down, we decided that the club should have a get together to celebrate a great season.  Here are many of the flyers with a SloStick model that we fly in the park.

Here Jim, Rick and Walt are planning their next plane and enjoying the evening. 

  We were delighted that our wives wanted to come and enjoy the picnic. Of course, we also were delighted that they brought things for dinner!

 Rick was one of the official flight instructors for the club and decided that we should celebrate the accomplishments of the fliers with some "award" certificates. Here, Jim received the award for the best unplugging of the training cord by stepping on it during flight (opps!).

Not to be outdone, Butch received his well earned award for achieving the remarkable feat of flying into various objects such as trees. Fortunately, all our planes are small and lightweight so no damage was done -- except, perhaps to our pride. We had no shortage of certificate worthy events, so everyone seemed to have a great time 

Naturally, there was lots of supervision around the grill. It did seem that there was more supervision than action, but what the heck -- we are retired!

 Dick knows how to relax and wait for dinner to be served. He has done a great job in learning to fly radio control aircraft and is looking forward to next season.

  Dinner is served. We had a great meal and great conversation. Perhaps the best thing about the RV lifestyle are the great folks that we meet. This is a friendly park and we are looking forward to coming again next year.

Rick expands RC flying -- into the multipurpose building!

Rick and Orinda have had a great winter -- but have been pretty slack in posting to the blog. Hopefully, Rick will do a better job from here on out. 

We have participated in several activities here at the Old Mill Stream RV park, but perhaps the most unusual has been INDOOR RC flying! The park has a large, multi-purpose building that is used for several things, including flying inside as Rick demonstrates above.

Naturally, we have to fly smaller, lighter planes, such as this Night Vapor, which fly great. We have a number of folks now flying indoors with these aircraft and have a blast. This plane weighs just a couple ounces, yet features full throttle, rudder and elevator control.

Here, Butch, a newer flyer, is flying his Vapor very successfully inside. This is great since even on windy or rainy days, we can fly.

The Vapor is available ready to fly and costs only about $100 with battery, charger and all the needed servos. This is a perfect plane for the RVer as it can fit in almost any rig as we travel.

The slow flight abilities are amazing as Gary shows as he serves as the "carrier" for a Vapor making a very slow approach. The plane is so light that we can easily catch it if needed. It also means that these planes can run into walls, floors, etc. with no damage which means it can fly anywhere. 

How about a quick touch and go from a small board? Hard to believe a bunch of retired guys can have a great time flying around in a small building --but we do!

RC Flying at Old Mill Stream RV Resort

Rick has flown Radio Control planes for many, many (over 35) years and has always enjoyed the challenge of building and flying the RC planes. One reason we choose the Old Mill Stream RV Resort was that they actually have an electric RC flying field right in the park! Here Rick is taking off his Slow Stick from the OMS runway. 

The Slow Stick is a great flyer and uses electric power which is very quiet as well as very powerful. This plane has a 40" wingspan and weighs about 18 ounces. It is a great trainer, but still can be very aerobatic. 

Radio systems have really advanced in the past few years and now offer training systems that make it much easier to learn to fly. Here Rick and Walt check out Walt's new plane prior to its initial flight. 

 Rick and Dick are flying Dick's plane on the Buddy Box system. The two radios are connected by a thin cord which allows Rick (the instructor) to flip a switch and give control to Dick. If Dick has a problem, Rick can quick regain control and right the plane to avoid a crash. 

Here, Rick is helping Butch, who lost direction while setting up a landing. Rick has just re-taken control and is guiding the plane up and away from the flyers. 

Butch and Rick are very happy that the plane has averted disaster and lives to fly another day. The new training system makes a huge difference in learning to fly radio control aircraft and greatly reduces the stress for the new pilot. 

 

Rick is working with Jim, an advanced student, and is explaining how to correct flight from various positions such as inverted flight, banks, etc. Jim is doing a great job and is flying by himself after a successful solo flight. 

We have a great little field to spend the afternoon at. A small sun shield, a couple tables and a gaggle of aircraft. This is also a great way to meet lots of folks who come by and watch us fly. 

Wow - we are getting a nice sized group of flyers here in the RV park. What a great treat it is to be able to fly right where we are camping for the winter! 

A Great Boat Trip on the Dora Canal in Florida

Here is our 15' Gheenoe which we will be taking in the Dora Canal. This fiberglass boat is popular with the local fishermen because it is surprisingly stable, takes very little water to float, and is comfortable to use. This is Orinda's first trip in the boat, so we will see how she likes it.

Orinda and I took advantage of a beautiful day to launch our Gheenoe boat into Lake Eustis at the Tavares boat ramp -- which is a large, very nice public ramp. The Gheenoe looked a bit small compared to the 22' Bass Boats being launched and our 2.5hp outboard was a bit smaller than the 250hp motors they used, but we were ready to go!

A short boat ride from the ramp is the entrance, under this bridge, to the Dora Canal which connects Lake Eustis with Lake Dora. The Canal dates back over 100 years and was dug by hand to connect the lakes. Today, it is well know for its beauty and wildlife.

 After passing under the HWY441 bridge, you immediately enter the canal and feel as if you have been transported back in time to the wilds. There are huge cypress trees growing along the banks with countless birds flying in the woods.

 The Canal is about 1.25 miles long and about 5 feet deep, although that can change quickly. It is hard to believe that you are near any kind of civilization given the wilds next to the water, but in fact, we are only a mile or so from the town of Tavares.

Rick enjoys running the powerful 2.5 hp outboard, which excels in this shallow water. Our little boat is quiet and stable; perfect for observing the birdlife.

Even though it was cool a few days ago, the 75 degree weather today has brought the birds out. This great blue heron did not seem very concerned about our passage as he watched from this log.

Orinda had a hard time seeing the birds, but enjoyed the scenic boat ride. As you can see, the water was mirror smooth which made for a nice run.

This heron was fishing and did not seem happy to see us. In fact, right after this shot was taken, he flew off in somewhat an indignant fashion.

Success! Orinda's reward for braving the wilds of the Dora Canal is a cup of coffee and a small sundae from McDonalds! We had a nice time traveling the waterways of the Dora Canal and Lake Eustis.

Reflections on 4 years of Fulltime Motorhoming

We started our fulltime life in the motorhome by first holding an auction to sell everything we had accumulated in 35 years of married life -- which was a lot of stuff! This was a big decision for us and took about 6 weeks of hard work to get everything organized and ready for the big auction. We engaged a great auctioneer  who handled all the advertising, and pre-auction publicity.

The auction Saturday was clear, but cold -- unusually so for early fall in South Dakota, but we were pleased with the hundreds of folks eager to bid on our stuff. We sold furniture, wood working equipment, jewelry, kitchen pots and pans, and much more. The great thing about the auction was that everything was sold and removed in one very busy day! We were also pleased at the overall proceeds of the auction -- about 25% higher than we had hoped.

Rick had to finish working over the fall semester and as a result, we could not leave until Christmas 2007. We left South Dakota in clear, cold weather, but in Nebraska, hit heavy snow as you can see. Our 36' Itasca Meridian coach did a great job on the ice, but we were really pleased to finally pull off into the RV park for the night. What a start to fulltiming!

A foot of snow later, we were ready to continue. Fortunately, the RV park plowed the roads and our site so we could head out, but we wondered what kind of life we were embarking on. 

We finally made it to Florida where we spent a wonderful winter and really got into the concept of fulltime living in our coach. In fact, we loved the lifestyle so much, that we ened up trading the 2004 36' Meridian for a 2008 Winnebago Tour 40' coach. 

Moving day is always a thrill, even from one coach to another. Here, all the stuff from the 36' coach is stacked on our site while we awaited delivery of the new 40' rig. We were amazed at how much stuff we had on board.

The 40' coach arrives! Wow, what a difference. We loved the new Tour 40' and ended up fulltiming almost 3 years in this great coach, which took us over 35,000 miles around the country. We learned that the extra room and amenities were very well worth while.

The Tour took us all over the country and we saw things we had only dreamed about. Here, Rick is getting ready to crew in a hot air balloon at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta where we joined other RVers at a rally sponsored by the Escapees  RV Club. 

What a sight! Rick watched as hundreds of balloons lifted off to join him in the air. Wow -- we never dreamed we could do this. 

The 40' Tour made its way to the Pacific coast twice over the three years that we had it and we greatly enjoyed the trips. What a great way to travel and to take in the sights such as this beach on the Oregon coast. We were fortunate to have our old Golden Retriever, Cody, with us for 3 years before he passed. 

The 40' Tour was great, but then Winnebago came out with the 42' tag axle model and we were amazed at the extra space and features it offered. The king bed, stacked washer/dryer, dishwasher and 4 slides sold Orinda. Rick was taken with the large holding tanks and the 4 (FOUR!) big tvs helped seal the deal. This rig is great to drive and live in. 

We took the new coach on a 9,000 mile trip over 6 months last summer/fall and had a great time. Here, we are at an Escapees Rally in Gillette, WY as a weather front blew through.

The new Tour takes a breather next to Yellowstone Lake. After 4 full years of fulltime living in a motorhome, we can say with certainty it is a great lifestyle. We have meet hundreds of great people, seen amazing things, and participated in events that we could only dream about. If you are interested in this life, be sure to fully check it out as it is a whole new world that awaits you.