Christmas in Orlando

Well I was then I wasn't coming home to spend Christmas with my kids. They convinced me otherwise in no uncertain terms. Boy were they mad when I said I wasn't. I'm so glad that I did though. I've enjoyed spending every minute possible with Rich (whom I'm staying with), Matt, Nicole and and my grand baby Kayla (she's 2), and Carrie. We've dined on all kinds of wonderful foods in all kinds of great restaurants. And Christmas Eve with all of them, and especially Kayla, as this is her 1st cognizant (of Santa and the meaning of) Christmas. It was such a trip watching her open the family gifts Christmas Eve!

I spent my birthday in Disney Studios with my Carrie. In 2009 Disney had an offer of free admission to any 1 park on your birthday. So we went to ride the Tower of Terror, the Aerosmith (the band) roller coaster, which is indoors and semi-dark, with a start that goes from 0-60 in 3 seconds and right into a loop. Plus they have the Osborne Christmas Lights at night. Over 5 million lights that are synced to music. Pretty cool! They did change the location of the lights from the last time I was there so I didn't think it was as impressive as previous years but it was still pretty. Last time I was there the lights were in the "back lot" area which contained 6 or 8 houses (one from the Golden Girls, one from Herbie the Love Bug, and another that I can't remember what TV show it was used for. Plus the NYC street. Now it's all on a street with back drops of NYC and San Francisco. Well worth the price of admission though...especially when it was free!

My sister Eileen and her husband John are flying in from Charlotte NC on Friday and will stay the weekend in Daytona Beach. My sister Diana (Bunny to those of you who know her), who lives in Madeira Beach FL is driving up on Saturday and she and I will go spend the day with Eileen and John.

Soon after that it will be off to Houston again to make my final preparations to head south. The only remaining holdout to crossing the border is my lump sum pension payout check. I want it in my hand when I finally get underway. Belize has very attractive saving account interest rates so I'll deposit some there, which will be in Belize dollars and readily accessible and some in a U.S. bank to have access to American dollars, accessible through ATM. I'm covering all of my bases...

But, when all is said and done, it's going to be hard to leave my kids again for God knows how long, until I visit FL. They CAN come down and visit me though! I'd really enjoy that. And remember that you are also welcome to come for a visit. The scuba diving, snorkling (for those who don't dive), fishing, sightseeing, and just plain hanging around is GREAT!!!
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My new home

Well I thought I had posted a picture of my new home that I'm dragging to Belize but I guess now. So here it is. It's a 1994 22 foot Coachman Catalina. It's been checked out by an RV dealer who said it was in excellent shape. It has 1 bedroom with a full sized bed in the rear and 2 bunk beds up front, and a full kitchen and bath.

 

While I was staying at my cousin Pat's in Houston for those couple of weeks in November I was sleeping in it and it was very comfortable so I have no reservations about living in it full time. If I don't have an electric hook up anywhere everything will run nicely off the solar/battery string except the AC. I have a gas generator that will run that. The fridge will run on either electric or propane, also depending on whether I have electric or not (if for some reason the solar/batteries lose power). The stove runs on propane but that's plentiful in Belize because everyone cooks with it. And of course I have a BBQ grill.

 

I do plan on adding 2 additional batteries to the 2 that I already have, so that my storage capacity is greater. They can also be charged directly from my Jeep when the engine is running or from the generator so I think I have all my bases covered there. That's not to say that I won't have an electric hook up in Belize. But for the 1st week or 2, while I'm looking for that perfect spot to call home I may not.

Hopefully I've prepared for every possibility when it comes to living in a trailer out of the country. God knows I've done an awful lot of research on various websites supported by people living off the grid and survivalists. They had some great info on keeping safe and what works well in the wild. I've taken it all in and bought some of the things recommended like a solar/crank operated AM/FM/Short Wave/Weather radio (it can also be plugged in). I also purchased a very portable water filtering system that allows you to take the dirtiest of water and make it drinkable. Now whether it tastes good or not remains to be seen but I'll have plenty of packets of lemonade to help flavor it.

I've added 2 tires plus a spare for the Jeep and the trailer as well as 2-2 ton floor jacks and 2-2 ton bottle jacks just on case of a flat tire or blow out. I also put locking lug nuts on all of my tires so I don't have to worry about someone stealing them without having to go through a lot of trouble. I have a tongue lock to prevent someone from pulling up towing my trailer off if I'm not there plus every hitch pin has a key lock.

 

So while it sounds like Belize is a dangerous place it really isn't. To tell you the truth most of these precautions are for my drive through Mexico and just for peace of mind as I do plan on traveling Central America and doing some camping in the rain forest and mountains of Belize and Guatemala. Lots of Mayan ruins, wildlife preserves and other interesting places to visit on day trips and longer. I have my 17 foot canoe with me and canoe trips are a possibility too.

 

My son Rich has an account on a website called http://caretaker.org/ that lists caretaker jobs all over the world. I answered an ad last night for someone to just live on their property while they aren't there, which is 90% of the time. They provide electric and water hook up if the person selected has a trailer or a room in the house. They also supply Internet and satellite TV. And best part is they are near where I want to be. So, keep your fingers crossed for me!

 

Well that's about it for now. I just wanted to post the picture of my new home... More later!