Christmas Day, 2019

We had dinner at David & Ashley's Christmas Day. There was us, Joanna, Ashley's father and step-mother and of course their multiple pets. Dave did the cooking as he's good at it :) and Ashley is the hostess with the mostest.  A relaxing and nice family day.

Where in the devil is that Christmas card from the Titusville Payette’s?

Where in the devil is that Christmas card from the Titusville Payette’s?  Stand down and away from your mailbox, folks. It’s not coming, it’s not in the mail, and you’re blocking traffic.  Quite a few years ago we were steady, reliable Christmas Card mailers. We had a database (ok, a list) and we added to it as we met new people, and subtracted from it when friends and relatives died or moved without leaving a forwarding address or, like our friends the Bakers of Oregon, moved so often from one coast to the other our typing fingers hurt trying to keep up.

For over a decade we’ve run a Blog :https//bobpayette.blogspot.com/ that has links to photo’s of our comings and goings and short rants about what we’ve done lately. Think of it as a Christmas Letter that’s run amuck, so that when you’re really bored you can look at what we’re doing and count your blessings.  We’re also pretty active on Facebook, and keep in touch with friends (that haven’t yet blocked me) and relatives through that medium.  So, if you’re on Facebook and we’re not friends and want to be, send me a request and we’ll probably say yes unless I’m in an especially crotchety mood.

That all having been said, if you’ve read this rant to this point,  you should probably have a glass of wine (or a cup of coffee) and do something creative.

Cheers, and Merry Christmas!  Bob

Falcon 9 Launch of JCSAT-18/KACFIC-1 communications satellite from Cape Canaveral, as seen from our deck in Titus Village, Titusville FL....

Above:  View of Falcon 9 on drone ship, 8:50 after liftoff from Cape Canaveral.  Wonderful that they've perfected the recovery of that very expensive first stage....This drone ship snap is from Florida Today.

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNSNJ7hNH8t9vzumf-lloR_BGJCb8e5QmOzhylFThis is an .051 short segment of film I shot from our deck just prior to the launch....

This clip is 04:33 in length...again, shot from the deck and shows the Falcon 9 as she comes up over the Eastern horizon.  Love these night launches!  During the day, since we're facing dead East, the sun glare can be pretty difficult to work with in filming with the smart phone.....

Our son, the Chef David....

https://youtu.be/P624mYyocz4

Letter to the Editor of The Hartford Courant that has a real ring of Truth...

Leaving Connecticut is becoming the necessary choice

HARTFORD COURANT |

SEP 18, 2019 | 6:00 AM

It was sad to read the article from the Vallos family concerning their forced move to New Hampshire [Sept. 15, Insight, “We didn’t leave Connecticut. Connecticut left us”]. Their story is becoming too familiar. The cost of living, working and retiring in Connecticut has become a significant burden, especially for those folks who don’t have the luxury of a state job or pension.

Many retirees who can afford it become snowbirds, heading to Florida or other warm states for the winter and returning here during the summer months, thereby avoiding leaving family and friends altogether. Many state retirees, like former Gov. Jodi Rell, become Florida residents and enjoy the best of both worlds. They have balmy winter weather, no personal income tax, low cost of living and plenty of tax-free pension dollars to spend on the grandkids.

Unfortunately, there are many people who do not have that luxury. After working in Connecticut and contributing to the local and state economy for years, they are forced to leave family and friends behind in order to financially survive.

Something has to give.

Diane Carney, Newington
_______________________________________
December 30th, 2019 update: https://www.courant.com/opinion/op-ed/hc-op-rice-leaving-connecticut-1010-20191010-3l2fgknsmbaevnfhf434oshj2q-story.html

Getting a bit introspective...

Well,it's a long story but I'll shorten it.  When I first came back from Vietnam in December of 1965 my first job was at Colts Fire Arms in Hartford (piecework, making the stock for the AR15).  I did good because i was young and gung-ho (still!) but realized it was not a life's avocation. My brother Fran (Spike) had a job at the Hartford Branch of the Hartford Courant, and I thought it might be a better fit...so I applied and was hired.
Long story short I made Manager of Branch 6 in West Hartford faster than anyone else had made the jump .  Company car, pension, nice office help...all good, but the money sucked, and I had a girl in the wings (my wife Alice).  SO, I had the opportunity to intern at Allstate Insurance and that changed my life and financial prospects.  Today I re-subscribed to the Courant for 6 months...I owe them a lot!

Heading home today from Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park...without our toad.

Click on photo to enlarge.

We arrived here on Sunday November 17th, and on unhitching our 2018 Ford Focus from the motor-home found out that the transmission had apparently STB...there was no reverse.  After a fashion we got the Ford dispatch service to come out and tow the vehicle, and it ended up at Gilbert Ford in Okeechobee which is about 35 miles away.  The State Park we're camping at is in the middle of the Prairie...very remote and we're lucky the tow guy found us at all.
Long story short, the dealer where the car was towed does not have a competent transmission man...nor do they have loaner cars.  So (and we're still negotiating who is paying for this) the car is being towed today from Okeechobee back to Ron Norris Ford in Titusville.  Their Service Manager has been a terrific help in sorting out this situation.
Buddy the hound has had a grand time.  He's seen deer multiple times and a flock of turkeys, and any number of crows.  Wild pigs have dug up an area behind where we're camping and he is fascinated by the different smells he's experiencing :).

Once we get home and have regular wi-fi (on the road we tether to the phone) I'll post a Google Album link to some photos.
 Link to https://photos.app.goo.gl/WeCKs2XzYS64x9mz9

We just got in from Alafia River State Park...

We were at Alafia State Park with friends John and Loretta for several days. https://www.floridastateparks.org/Alafia

It's a nice Park, but we got chewed up a bit by fire ants and no-see-ums.  Our bad for not putting on repellent earlier but....

Some snaps:

Columbus Day Weekend thoughts....

This is the weekend, back in the day, when we would have led our Good Sam Chapter Seaport Sams up to the Berkshires to Country Aire Campground for our "end of season" camping trip.  Often times the fall foliage driving down the Mohawk Trail to the campground was quite spectacular, and the trip itself was enjoyable as there were lots of "fall" activities.  Side of the road stands with cider and apple wine, maple syrup and candy and crisp wonderful to sleep in autumn air with a hint of the changing season. We always ended up spending a day in Shelbourne Falls with its quaint shops and old-time New England feel.  

That being said, in the back of the mind was the fact that this was the last camping outing before having to put the rig to bed...she had to be emptied and winterized before a hard freeze, only to be put back on the road again in late December for the jaunt South. It was bittersweet.

October remembrance....

So, here it is in October and we’re finally seeing a little coolness ...not much mind but at least in the 70’s at night and early morning and it's got me thinking.  Back when we lived in Connecticut and were snowbirds here in Titusville this is the time of year when we had to start prepping the rig (motor-home) for winter, knowing that a hard frost and snow was coming.  So, we’d blow out the lines, add a little antifreeze to the traps ...remove anything that freezing would raise hell with, and park her. In the meantime we’d have picked out a “packing corner” somewhere where the stuff that was going back IN the rig when we headed South would be placed, as we’d be heading out with the winterized rig somewhere between Christmas and New Year’s. Somewhere along the Mason Dixon Line we’d de-winterize so we had working plumbing...

Generally we arrived in Titusville at Manatee Hammock ON New Years Day, it being a good low traffic day for the last day on the road.  Then, in early April, we’d head back to CT and reverse the process. After four years it did get a bit old, as we got steadily older, and we can honestly say that our decision to root here permanently was the right one for us.

We don’t miss the sound of the oil truck backing up our driveway on Branch Hill Road in Preston, and we don’t miss driving the rig, with the car being towed behind, down an icy 600 foot gravel driveway.  Instead of putting the rig away we’ve scheduled camp-outs to Florida State Parks for all of the upcoming winter and spring months. For us, it just plain works :).

Let it be written: The kitchen is finally 100% done!

At last, the installer was here yesterday October 4th from Lowe's and finished installing the trim in the new kitchen.  It's been a long road, but we're happy with the finished product and loving cooking again :).  In previous posts we detailed our kitchen disaster that necessitated getting a new kitchen on the fly so you'll understand why we're very relieved to have it done and behind us.

Just in yesterday from Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park....

https://photos.app.goo.gl/1ZME58sjT64sLTof9

We just got in yesterday from a few days camping with friends from our old Good Sam camping group.  Nice campground, decent (but hot) weather and the only bad thing was our rig refrigerator went south :(.  The rig is a 2007 so I guess we can't complain...never had any issue with any of the appliances and we're all getting longer on the tooth. Click the top link for photo's from the camp out.

And then there was an Island Wedding on Friday the 13th:).

https://photos.app.goo.gl/JGsai6wv75wJwBnQ8

David and his bride Ashley got lucky on the weather...and it turned out to be a beautiful day.  There were storms a-brewing so to speak and it could have gone either way...better to be lucky than good!

Relatives from Alice's side flew in from Massachusetts and Virginia, our side from CT and between them and Ashley & Dave's friends and her relatives there was a great turnout for the Island ceremony.  Wonderful day all around!

Well, it took a while! Kitchen 90% there :).

It took a while, but we're about 90% done with the kitchen.  Seems odd to have a working dishwasher and disposal, and God Bless the little children, an actual kitchen sink!

We just cancelled our campout at Fort Clinch State Park for August...

Due to our home turmoil with the kitchen issues we decided to cancel our scheduled camp out to Fort Clinch State park.  It's been a long haul and we're not there yet....counters installed today, plumbers here tomorrow....dishwasher delivered and installed on Saturday and then reorganizing everything...so we'll go somewhere local to keep it simple.

Progress on kitchen rebuild....

It's been a long haul (since just after Easter)...but our installers were here yesterday, and will be back Monday, installing the new cabinets in the kitchen. Also on Monday the counter people will be over to make the template for the counter tops.  After a few weeks the counters will be installed, then we can have a new dishwasher installed (the old one is what caused our disaster) and have the sink, micro-wave, disposal etc hooked back up. We'll be going to arbitration with the insurance company which has given us nothing but grief....very disappointed!

Reflections ...Dean Ford of Marmalade

https://youtu.be/rGUI9JLO6kk

Living with a kitchen disaster....

Last month our dishwasher motor failed, causing water to spew out on the dishwasher empty cycle onto our slab and under the lower kitchen cabinets.  Our first sign of a problem was water that appeared in the adjacent Florida room, near a chest freezer, leading us to believe the freezer was leaking. By the time we figured it out there was considerable water damage to the kitchen cabinets and also mold.

Our insurance company was VERY slow to respond and really quite anxious to deny the claim.  Very late in the game they have paid for the mold and water mitigation but only a small portion of the cabinets.  The cabinets, counter top and tile splash cannot  be replicated and we have contracted with Lowe's to install new cabinets, counters and back splash.  We've notified the insurance adjuster that we are filing for arbitration and/or going to court for their bad faith in handling this claim and we'll also provide detailed information to the Florida Dept. of Insurance with a time-line.

In the interim, for the last month we haven't had a sink or table to eat on.  Our refrigerator is in the dining room and our cookware and dishes are .... somewhere.  What a life!

Update July 20th:  We have filed for arbitration on our claim with the Florida Dept. of Insurance, and also filed a separate complaint against the adjuster.

Current Camping Reservations as of May 19th, 2019

Jetty Park, June 9-13-2019 site #325

Upcoming Florida State Park Reservations:

Current Reservations

Robert Payette - r.payette2@gmail.com

Check the status of your current reservations. View past reservations.

Reservations: 1-10 of 10▲ Previous | Next ▼

Reservation Number
Status

Type

Location

Reservation Details

Total Fee:
Balance Due

2-36404313 FL
Confirmed
See Detail

Site

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

Site: 019Sun Jul 07 2019 - Thu Jul 11 2019 (4 nights)

$97.70
:$0.00

2-36190803 FL
Confirmed
See Detail

Site

Fort Clinch State Park

Site: 020Wed Aug 14 2019 - Wed Aug 21 2019 (7 nights)

$108.62
:$0.00

2-36680889 FL
Confirmed
See Detail

Site

Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park

Site: 055Sun Sep 22 2019 - Thu Sep 26 2019 (4 nights)

$51.50
:$0.00

2-36681393 FL
Confirmed
See Detail

Site

Alafia River State Park

Site: 014Sun Oct 20 2019 - Thu Oct 24 2019 (4 nights)

$56.64
:$0.00

2-36681839 FL
Confirmed
See Detail

Site

Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park

Site: 010Sun Nov 17 2019 - Thu Nov 21 2019 (4 nights)

$41.90
:$0.00

2-36483564 FL
Confirmed
See Detail

Site

Oscar Scherer State Park

Site: 050Sun Dec 08 2019 - Fri Dec 13 2019 (5 nights)

$79.50
:$0.00

2-36680930 FL
Confirmed
See Detail

Site

O'Leno State Park

Site: 018Sun Jan 19 2020 - Thu Jan 23 2020 (4 nights)

$47.02
:$0.00

2-36850379 FL
Confirmed
See Detail

Site

Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park

Site: 029Mon Feb 10 2020 - Fri Feb 14 2020 (4 nights)

$50.70
:$0.00

2-36889383 FL
Confirmed
See Detail

Site

Highlands Hammock State Park

Site: 051Sun Mar 22 2020 - Thu Mar 26 2020 (4 nights)

$55.76
:$0.00

2-36466743 FL
Confirmed
See Detail

Site

Jonathan Dickinson State Park

Site: 035Sun Apr 05 2020 - Thu Apr 09 2020 (4 nights)

$74.68
:$0.00

Reservations: 1-10 of 10▲ Previous | Next ▼

Florida State Park Reservations as of 4/23/2019

Reservations

Current ReservationsPast Reservations

Site - 035

Jonathan Dickinson State Park

Upcoming

Site 035, 4 nights
Reservation #2-36466743 FL (Confirmed)

Check-in
Sun May 19 2019

Check-out
Thu May 23 2019

Balance Remaining: $0.00

Site - 019

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

Upcoming

Site 019, 4 nights
Reservation #2-36404313 FL (Confirmed)

Check-in
Sun Jul 07 2019

Check-out
Thu Jul 11 2019

Balance Remaining: $0.00

Site - 020

Fort Clinch State Park

Upcoming

Site 020, 7 nights
Reservation #2-36190803 FL (Confirmed)

Check-in
Wed Aug 14 2019

Check-out
Wed Aug 21 2019

Balance Remaining: $0.00

Site - 055

Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park

Upcoming

Site 055, 4 nights
Reservation #2-36680889 FL (Confirmed)

Check-in
Sun Sep 22 2019

Check-out
Thu Sep 26 2019

Balance Remaining: $0.00

Site - 014

Alafia River State Park

Upcoming

Site 014, 4 nights
Reservation #2-36681393 FL (Confirmed)

Check-in
Sun Oct 20 2019

Check-out
Thu Oct 24 2019

Balance Remaining: $0.00

Site - 010

Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park

Upcoming

Site 010, 4 nights
Reservation #2-36681839 FL (Confirmed)

Check-in
Sun Nov 17 2019

Check-out
Thu Nov 21 2019

Balance Remaining: $0.00

Site - 050

Oscar Scherer State Park

Upcoming

Site 050, 5 nights
Reservation #2-36483564 FL (Confirmed)

Check-in
Sun Dec 08 2019

Check-out
Fri Dec 13 2019

Balance Remaining: $0.00

Site - 018

O'Leno State Park

Upcoming

Site 018, 4 nights
Reservation #2-36680930 FL (Confirmed)

Check-in
Sun Jan 19 2020

Check-out
Thu Jan 23 2020

Balance Remaining: $0.00

Site - 029

Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park

Upcoming

Site 029, 4 nights
Reservation #2-36850379 FL (Confirmed)

Check-in
Mon Feb 10 2020

Check-out
Fri Feb 14 2020

Balance Remaining: $0.00