Monday July 31st 2023

I woke up this morning to a dull overcast day. The sound of the lawn crew working on the grass in the RV park was distant. I rolled over and went back to sleep assuming I’d be awake again when the mowers arrived in my area of the park. It didn’t happen. It was well after 9AM when I woke up again. The mowing crew only did a small area at the front of the park.

It remained cloudy all morning. This gave me a chance to get a few outside chores completed before it got hot. There are still several more outside chores that I need to get done, but the sun broke through the clouds in the early afternoon. The temperature climbed into the low nineties before the usual afternoon thunderstorms started to arrive in the area. Once again, for the most part, the heavier storms missed this area.

The end of month turnover in the RV park continued today. Several more of the trailers that have been here for a long time departed today. The start of the month represents the beginning of leases in rental properties. The start of the school year is also getting close. In many Florida counties school begins this week or next. Families want to be in place before the kids start school.

Sunday July 30th 2023

The weather has returned to the above normal level with respect to temperature. It was in the upper nineties today with high humidity to make it seem even hotter. Severe thunderstorm warnings for the area started around 4PM. For the most part the storms avoided this area. There was a lot of wind at times and a few drops of rain, but most of the afternoon and evening the storms missed this area. As I write this blog entry at 9PM, the first real thunderstorm is overhead. It is raining steadily on the roof of my RV home and the lightening is providing quite a light show.

This seemed to be a big departure day in the RV park. Several of the RVs that were here when I arrived over a month ago departed. I suspect it may be related to the end of the month. Included in the departures was the RV on the site across the road that runs behind my RV. It has looked like they were getting ready to leave for a couple of weeks now, but today’s departure was well disguised. I thought they were just getting ready to go out for the day. They still had plenty of stuff scattered around their site, but when I looked out a few minutes later they were hooked up and pulling out. Somebody in a golf cart came by later and collected the two or three things they left behind.

Today’s walk around the RV park was a short one. It was very hot in the sun without much of a breeze blowing on my early walk. My second walk was canceled for fear of getting caught in a downpour. Most of my day was spent watching TV, chasing random information on the internet and doing a few inside chores. I have a backlog of outside chores, but I’m waiting for more favorable conditions.

Saturday July 29th 2023

There was one heavy thunderstorm in the middle of the afternoon, but otherwise it was a nice sunny day. The temperature peaked at the seasonal average in the low nineties with about normal levels of humidity.

Before the rain I drove out to Cedar Point for a little hiking. The breeze along the shore of the creeks kept it comfortable. Along the trails in the woods the breeze didn’t have an impact. It was not only warm, but the insects were a real problem. I didn’t get in as much hiking as I had planned. Most of my time was spent in the open watching the birds wading and the fiddler crabs racing across the mud.

I was on my way back to my RV home when the afternoon storm materialized. The sky darkened quickly and lightening decorated the horizon. This was a windy storm with heavy rain. I had to crank the windshield wipers to full speed and slow down to maintain visibility. The storm didn’t last long. I drove out of it in about five minutes. It was only a light sprinkle when I arrived home, but the storm had made its presence known. Not expecting rain, I had left windows open to air out my RV home. I had a few wet areas to dry up.

As I commented in yesterday’s blog entry the RV park didn’t really fill up much this weekend. When I walked around today, there were only a few additional RVs in the area of the park generally used for travelers and weekenders. On the other hand, the RVs that are generally empty during the week had people in residence today. I’m not sure if these units are weekend escapes or if the people work and I just don’t see them during the day during the week. The bottom line is there was still a higher level of activity in the park for the weekend.

Friday July 28th 2023

Today was a bizarre weather day. It started to rain in the middle of the night. There were light to medium showers regularly until after sunrise. It didn’t seem like there was any real wind or thunder. I slept through most of it, so who knows. During the day the sky would go from dark clouds to light fluffy clouds every hour or so. Some of the dark clouds brought rain, others just threatened. Overall it was dry more often than wet, but there was no way to predict. All of the rain showers were mild without much wind and only an occasional clap of thunder.

I drove north one exit on Interstate 95 to the town of Yulee this afternoon. My intent was to visit another park and boat launch area. The weather didn’t cooperate. Just as I arrived at the parking area another rain shower arrived. After a little while waiting the puddles became deep enough to make walking difficult. This resulted in a change in plans. Even as the rain was slowing down, I moved on. Then the adventure began.

It was very difficult to turn left across traffic to return toward home. I decided to turn right looking for the next traffic light. The next thing I knew I was on Amelia Island. Much of the island is an upscale tourist area. They seem to have an aversion to traffic signs. I managed to take enough wrong turns to make a counter clockwise circle including a stretch along the Atlantic Ocean. For most of the trip I didn’t know where I was even though I’ve been on the island before. Traffic was heavy the whole way around the loop I completed to reverse direction toward home.

The RV park doesn’t seem as busy today as I have come to expect for the start of a weekend. The front of the park has filled up with weekenders in the past. Tonight it doesn’t seem to be as populated. Perhaps more people arrived after dark. I’ll figure it out during one of my walks tomorrow.

Thursday July 27th 2023

The last few days have begun cloudy and even foggy. This morning was the opposite. The clouds were missing from the sky at the beginning of the day. The temperature climbed quickly. Then everything changed. The clouds moved in and the wind picked up. The sub tropical system that has been developing off the east coast of Florida over the last few days is starting to move inland. It is forecast to bring rain to the area tomorrow morning.

I haven’t really caught up on the sleep I lost by getting up at 5AM yesterday. Instead of going to bed early last night, I stayed up late. This morning I was dragging. Breakfast took about three hours to complete. I kept getting distracted by things on the internet. Basically, I lacked focus all day.

My afternoon activity turned into a drive in air conditioned comfort. I had intended to stop at a few of the picnic areas and boat launch areas along the rivers, but found them uninteresting when I arrived. In general, I wasn’t in the mood for doing much walking without a specific goal. The only walk I took was around the RV park this evening. The changing weather had lowered the temperature into the mid eighties making conditions right for a comfortable walk. The geese thought so too. The entire flock seemed to be waking along the roads in the park.

Wednesday July 26th 2023

Today began very early. I had an 8AM appointment in Ocala to have my new car setup to be towed behind my motorhome. Ocala is about two hours away in normal conditions. To make sure I arrived on time, I departed my RV home at 5:30AM this morning. The first half of the trip south was in the dark followed by the glare of the rising sun. I made it with plenty of time to spare.

The next six hours were spent waiting for my car to have major surgery. They need to take the front bumper assembly off to install the base plate to the frame. The front bumper assembly includes the headlights, front running lights and lots of sensors. They also run wires from the front of the car to the tail lights and through the firewall into the cabin. The shop also installed a trailer hitch receiver in the back so I can use my bike rake to carry my bicycle.

I spent the time watching YouTube videos on my cell phone and observing the other patrons of the Hitching Post shop. In addition to setting up cars for towing, they install trailer hitches, bed covers for truck beds and other aftermarket equipment. It seems to be a busy business. There were two other 8AM appointments this morning and when I departed this afternoon several people were waiting for service.

Traffic on the way south this morning was light after I got out of the greater Jacksonville area. Returning home this afternoon, traffic was heavy all the way. Once I got to the beltway around Jacksonville it really slowed down. I got home shortly before 5PM. It was a long day, but I have my new vehicle towable. There are a few more things I need to check out to optimize the connection for towing. Specifically I need to make sure the light are wired correctly and that the height of the towbar makes a level connection. That will happen over the next couple of days. I still have almost a month before I plan to travel again.

Tuesday July 25th 2023

It went from dry to rain in the blink of an eye this afternoon. When I decided it was time for a walk, I checked the sky and didn’t see any dark clouds. There were lots of white and gray clouds, but nothing that looked threatening. I also checked the weather radar on my phone. The sky looked clear. Ten minutes later the sky started to cry without warning. It stopped before I found shelter back at my RV home, but I needed dry clothes. The storm basically formed right overhead. Over the next two hours more rain fell.

This was a chores and errands kind of day. They certainly didn’t take op the whole day. I wasted a lot of time drinking a second cup of coffee with my breakfast pastries and I got in two walks. One wet one and one dry one.

I may have discovered why the geese disappear for a day or two every now and then. At least one of the park staff has taken on a mission of harassment. Today he was driving his golf cart toward them at full speed complete with beeping horn. Not content with a single pass, he would circle around and come back at them until the majority took flight to escape. I know their calling cards are dirty and annoying, but they get dried up by the sun and cleaned up by the thunderstorms. The geese are protected from harm by Federal regulations, but not from harassment. Right now the RV park is empty enough that the birds can wander easily from grassy area to grassy area. When the park is full they have a much harder time. This would naturally limit the number of geese in the area.

Monday July 24th 2023

The weather forecast for the day was similar to yesterday. Basically, it was supposed to be cloudy with rain arriving in the early afternoon. That is not what happened. By early afternoon the cloudiness gave way to sunshine with no sign of rain in the immediate area. The rain threat was to the south of Jacksonville. As sunset approached a few threatening clouds appeared on the northwest horizon, but nothing came of the threat. It was a nice day in the normal temperature range for the area.

The geese were back yesterday and today the ducks and heron were back. The Canadian Geese seem to visit the tree beside my RV site most every day. Shortly after the lawn mowing crew got through with this part of the park the geese were foraging under the tree this morning. The ducks didn’t range away from the retention pond, but they were happily swimming around when I took my first walk of the day. The two heron I’ve seen in the past were also back. These birds are not comfortable with people. They always fly away before I get within fifty feet.

This was my day for the birds. While I was visiting one of the boat launch areas along the Nassau River I startled a pair of vultures that were loitering in the shade along one of the paths. They fluttered their wings a bit than just stood there and watched me walk by. I was about twenty feet away.

Sunday July 23rd 2023

The Canadian Geese came to my site this morning. They must of heard that I was expressing concern about their absence in last night’s blog entry. About a third of the flock that hangs out here came to visit. Whereever they were yesterday, they are back today.

Also in yesterday’s blog entry I predicted the early departure of my neighbors after they arrived around darkness last night. I was only half right. They were still here at 8AM, but they were gone by ten. They just had all the rapid traveler vibes. From traveling in a group to late arrival and not completely setting up it just had that air about it.

Today’s weather caught me off guard. I was just ready to leave the park for the day when the line of thunderstorms arrived. It was only about 1:30PM. The sky got much darker than usual and the sky to ground lightening put on a real show. The thunderstorm part of the weather was over in about half an hour, but it continued to rain lightly for the rest of the afternoon. A severe storm warning was issued for the area south of here, but this area just got light rain during that time.

The end result of the weather was I stayed home all day. I cooked a little more elaborate lunch/dinner than I would have if I’d succeeded in going out for the afternoon. My grilled pork chop and rice pilaf was enjoyable as I watched the light show provided by the storms. The resulting dirty dishes and other junk also kept me busy for a while cleaning up. I was still able to get in my second walk of the day after the storms and before sunset.

Saturday July 22nd 2023

Today’s weather returned to a more normal weather pattern for this area in the middle of July. The temperature climbed into the mid nineties before a line of thunderstorms moved into the area. The wind field ahead of the storms was very intense, but the actual storms weren’t very heavy. The rain continued on and off for about three hours, but it served to cool everything down into the seventies from the nineties.

My question for the day is “Where did all the birds go?” On my morning walk done of the Canadian Geese were visible. The ducks that usually hang out near the geese were also missing. Even the occasional egret or heron were missing. On my second walk of the day after the rain they were still missing. They have disappeared for a day or two before during my stay here, but where do they go and why.

The RV park was in weekend mode. Many of the sites used for travelers were filled. People were sitting outside their RVs and others were working on their rigs. The people that are away during the week were here and active. The weekend travel mode continued this evening. Three big fifth wheel trailers obviously traveling together arrived just before dark. They are in the row in front of my site. I wonder if they will be here in the morning when I get up? Often late arrivals mean early departures.