A Travelling Costa

[wanderingcosta]

Our evacuation from #hurricanedorian didnt quite go as planned.

First. We headed toward a military base in Mississippi, but the drive just proved too long. We managed to find a private rv park with great reviews, but upon arrival, we found a glorified trailer park. Broken down buildings, no fishing or swimming that was advertised on their website ... It was good for a quick stop, but would definitely not be a place we would want to return to!

Shortly after, however, we got wind of a Florida private rv park offering a special deal for people being evacuated. It was gorgeous, and offered two weeks for the price of one, so we headed there next.

More about that place - their amazing pool, community center, and weekly events, not to mention the amazing little town about 10 minutes away - soon!

[wanderingcosta]

Patrick's Air Force Base - amd Cocoa Beach - were both amazing! From the private beach right across from the gate, to the Tiki Bar on basr, to karaoke down at Lou's Blues ...

Everything would have been perfect, if ni ot for Hurricane Dorian!

We were evacuated several days before the hurricane was slated to hit the Cocoa Beachbl area, and started heading west. More on that next time!

[wanderingcosta]

Allison Speaking ...

It’s easy to start to feel guilty, living this kind of life. All the people I grew up with, worked with, all of our family - they are all back home, working nearly every day, most of them struggling just to get by. And look at us - visiting the beach every week, going out to eat, going dancing, etc. Money isn’t an issue, time is on our side, and the weather is beautiful. 

I struggle with that guilt every day. That feeling that I somehow don’t deserve to live such a beautiful life, when all my friends and family are working their butts off, while I get to lay on the sand of play a few video games, without a care in the world. 

That, I think, is the hardest part of this life. There are down sides, of course - the lack of personal space, the minimalistic (is that even a word?!) way of life that comes hand in hand with living in an RV. The loneliness, always being the outsider, the out-of-towner. The wondering, some days, whether it’s worth it to get out of bed. Depression is easy to fall into, living on the road like this. It’s not all beach time and drinks down at the tiki bar (though that is awesome, of course!) 

But in the same breath, I wouldn’t give this up for the world. Every place we travel is new - every face I see holds a new story. I should take a leaf out of the page of the Facebook Page “Humans of New York” and find some way to share these stories, I know. 

More on our newest destination (Cocoa Beach, Florida and Patrick Air Foce Base) soon! 

[wanderingcosta]

Joe Speaking . . . 

Even though I constantly tease all my friends and family about my life style I must fess up ... at time, especially as night comes on, I often ask myself “Can I go home now?”

Not that I want to, as my life is golden, but the thing is ... I have lived a certain way for over 67 years, and now this lifestyle. I guess ‘mixed emotions’ is the best way to describe the feeling, this urge. 

My ultimate goal is to buy a powerboat, and switch between living on the sea, and living in my RV. Sill me, I know, but I want to live my dream while I still can. 

This dream will have to wait for about a year or so, so that I can buy a boar for cash. Boats have holes in the bottom that money flows through trying to sink ones dreams, as the saying goes. A lot of upkeep and costs to maintain it. 

Oh well, just sharing some thoughts as I lay in my bed in my RV watching Netflix. I need a quiet normal partner with a limited income at least a little bit to live this style of the rich and fmous with me. Any takers? (haha!)

[wanderingcosta]

While at Mcdill Airfoce Base, we took on quite the project ... turning the corner bunk bed into a real bed! Allison had been sleeping in the cramped bottom bunk for a while, but for a 34 year old woman, it was a bit small. 

Really, Allison was just looking at what the project would entail. But once Joe came out to help ... well. one thing led to another, and suddenly the top bunk collapsed under Joe’s weight (you can see it on the bottom right picture). Once that happened, completing the project was sort a necessity if Allison wanted a place to sleep that night! 

Still, it came out looking absolutely beautiful, and Allison is quite happy with her new bedroom area! Must more comfortable than a tiny bunk bed that you can’t even sit up in! 

[wanderingcosta]

It’s been a while since we last checked in! We are at Macdill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida now. Joe had the chance to go to the Warrior Games here in Tampa this year, and it was amazing! Live performances by famous country singers along with the games themselves were just phenomenal. Allison is still beating herself up for not going - she thought it would be boring, but it was anything but, according to Joe.

More to come about our time in Tampa - it has been a blast, but we are getting ready to head to Patricks Air Foce Base near Coco Beach soon.

[wanderingcosta]

The second night of the reunion went swimmingly! 

The first night, as shown in our last post, was more informal. Everybody getting together and swapping stories, having a few beers ... 

The second night, however, was much more formal. A restaurant was booked, with a large dining hall. Plates were $65 each, with local seafood being the feature. However, something beautiful happened when it came time to pay ... 

One of the old members, who is now a pilot for United Airlines, stood up and offered to pay for the meals of every. single. person. there We are talking about thousands of dollars ... close to $4600! 

It was a wonderful night all told. We sat with a couple of people we didn’t know, which made it even better - the stories told were new to both Allison and Joe, and the conversation kept us going - even though it took about two hours to get our food to us! Still, the restaurant was busy, and were WERE a large group - close to 70 of us, all told. 

Definitely a visit to remember. 

[wanderingcosta]

It’s been a while since we updated, but there’s has just been so much going on! 

Joe attendedhis Vietnam reunion in St. Augustine, Florida recently. His squadron was known as the “Sidewinders”, and they often refer to themselves as the “Naval Airforce” ... It was quite the gathering, with family and friends of these former navy boys gathering to remember their service, and even to award some medals - both to the men themselves, and often times to their families, as some of their members had, unfortunately, passed on. 

As one can imagine, these gatherings can be a bit emotional, but Joe really enjoyed looking through all the books and sharing some of his own stories ... some of which were a bit too raunchy for his daughter! 

The stay in the hotel was nice, though. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriot in St. Augustine, Florida - complete with a pool and hot tub that we both took advantage of! 

All in all, a great start to our time in Florida. 

[wanderingcosta]

Charleston, SC was simply amazing. We stayed at the Joint Base Charleston - Air Base, and it was absolutely beautiful. 

A good friend of Joe’s - from back when he was in highschool in the 60s! - gave us a tour of Charleston, and them took us out to eat a local seafood restaurant. Caroline was the one who took this picture of us, actually! 

It was a good stopping point on the way to Florida - we actually ended up staying several days, the base was so nice! Definitely adding it to the list of places to visit when we head this way again next year! 

[wanderingcosta]

Final post about Winchester, Virginia! 

Allison had a chance to see one of her old friends, Traci, while we were in Winchester. It was a great night, filled with good food and great friends, though she -was- disappointed that none of her other friends made it out to see her. 

Still, Traci was great - and Joe enjoyed meeting her. Traci works as a land conservationist in Winchester and the surrounding area, and her stories are always amazing, and often educational, which Joe enjoyed. 

Allison was sad to say goodbye to Winchester, but she admitted that it was a  place of her past - she was ready to move on. 

She did, however, get the chance to meet an old friend of her fathers - Perry. They worked together ‘back at Grafton in Virginia, when Allison was just a teenager. Perry was shocked when he realized just whose daughter he was speaking to - according to Allison, it was hilarious. But she also claimed that he was a great drinking partner, so there is that. 

All in all, it was a great trip. 

Onward to South Carolina! 

[wanderingcosta]

One of the highlights of our stop in Winchester! Seeing these two was absolutely amazing - one was Allison’s former boss, the other a former coworker that Joe became incredibly close to. Lisa kept us laughing all afternoon! We ate an old favorite of Allison’s - Awabi. It is mainly a sushi restaurant, with some noodle bowls and sake on the side. 

Joe, of course, got a noodle bowl - he is leery of raw fish, which Sushi is known for. But Allison, Amy, and Lis all got Sushi - and an appatetizer known as ‘Crunchy Avacado’ that is simply delicious. Even Joe enjoys that, since there is no fish or other meat products, just rice, seaweed, veggies, and other good stuff. And avacado, of course! 

[wanderingcosta]

We stayed at the Western Village RV Park in Pennsylvania recently, and it was wonderful! A bit different than the usual Military RV Parks that we are accustomed to - more of a family getaway type of place, really. But different is good sometimes! 

The pool was within easy walking distance, though the hot tub hadn’t been opened up for the season yet. It’s still early in the summer, so no surprise there. 

We also had a nice picnic table, and enjoyed a bbq our second night there. Joe’s diverticulitis meant that we had to be careful with the corn on the cob, but everything was absolutely delicious! 

From there we headed in to Winchester, was is a whole different ballgame! Picture of Winchester to come soon! 

[wanderingcosta]

Tri-State RV Park. It’s a glorified parking lot! We were extremely disappointed, especially after their website showed such a beautiful area - it was extemely misleading. 

Still, it was a good rest stop for us. We were able to take some time and rearrange the RV more to our liking, re-pack a lot of the things we didn’t find ourselves using all that often. It was also the first time we had full hookups, so we actually had full electricity and water for the first time since buying the new RV. Yay for coffee - for Joe - and smoothies - for Allison. 

Happy to be on our way to our next destination, however. The Western Village RV Park in Carlisle, PA ... hopefully this one lives up to it’s beautiful website! We checked the reviews this time, as well, and everybody seems very happy with the grounds and service ... it even looks like there is some sort of a game hall or pub on-site, with pool tables! Allison is definitely looking to that! 

[wanderingcosta]

Almost ready to leave Maine! It’s been great to see everybody, but we are ready to head out of here!

Heading toward Massachusetts tomorrow. Then on to the tri-state RV park in Pennsylvania before heading on to Virginia to see some old friends. 

Eager to get seay from this windy, rainy, cold weather!

[wanderingcosta]

We have upgraded! The new RV is absolutely beautiful, inside and out, and much roomier. It is a Coachman Freedom Express 2019, and we are absolutely in love with it. 

We are staying up at Lake St. George in Liberty, Maine until June 1, 2019, at which point we will begin heading up to Flordia for Joe’s Vietnam reunion. WIth obligatory stops in Bridgeport, Connecticut to see family, and Winchester, Virginia to see close friends, of course! 

[wanderingcosta]

Well, we are back in Maine, working on the storage unit. We are almost ready to head out, just counting the days! The weather is finally cooperating, though it's still too cold for swimming. Looking forward to heading back out on the road by June 1st!

[wanderingcosta]

It’s amazing, the places you see when you travel. Or the people you meet, really. 

Though we are still at El Centro, we passed through here a while back. Met a few people while passing through, and it was an ... interesting ... experience. 

From their ragged clothes to the general creepy vibe they were giving off, we high tailed it out of there pretty damn quick! 

Still, it was a stop to add to the record books!