Since we've been in Florida we've hitched up with a new Good Sam Chapter, the Space Coast Sams, which is the 2nd oldest Chapter in the State.  They are a fun group and we've been enjoying meeting them and camping in places we've never been to.

On Devcember 15th, 2012, Alice and myself were privileged to participate in a Wreaths Across America ceremony with the Space Coast Sams Camping Chapter of Good Sams, in Bushnell Florida at the Florida National Cemetery. These are a few snaps I took at these proceedings. http://bobpayette.blogspot.com/

Christmas lights at Titusvillage Section 1, December 2012

http://titusvillagesection1.com/TitusvillageChristmas2012.jpg  This link is to a collage I made for the Titusvillage website.

Click on right to view Our Titusvillage Section 1 Homeowners Association Website

2012 Florida Samboree in Eustis Fl...we were guests of Space Coast Sams

https://plus.google.com/photos/103565328419904276941/albums/5812275965659984545?authkey=CODG_7a98b3QrgE

The process…life?...is moving forward.   We’ve made contact with what we think is the closest Good Sam Club (Space Coast Sams) and have received a very informative reply to my inquiry post from their Chapter President.  We won’t be able to attend their October campout as our primary cat-sitter Joanna is heading North for Halloween festivities and to catch up, but we’ve made reservations for the Good Sams of Florida Fall Samboree in November up in  Eustis Florida.  Prior to that we’ve made reservations for a Florida “shake down” campout to Jetty Park in Port Canaveral, Oct 2^nd thru 4^th.

In the meantime we’ve set up a contractor to come in and install a small lawn sprinkler irrigation system with timers and a water holding tank  (we already have a well and external pump for watering purposes), and we’ve getting an estimate on the cost of re-doing our upper decks that need some serious attention.  Coming in here we had (through a full home inspection) a real good idea of what was good, what was bad, and what needed attention and now that we’ve sold our Preston digs we’re taking care of it one item on the list at a time.

It’s getting repetitive but we both do LOVE Florida.  This morning I spent a few hours at the Viera VA Clinic having signed up with a program to lose a few pounds if possible.  It’s great looking ahead with some real optimism, and we hope it ‘s going to be a fun winter here in the Sunshine State J. 

The fat lady has sungJ.  We actually closed on the Preston property on September 14^th, but the wire transfers won’t hit until today the 18^th as our Preston Town Hall is closed on Monday’s and the deed could not be filed until today.  It’s going to seem good NOT waiting for the phone to ring on additional problems, inspections and requests.  Anyone who tells you that selling a property is easy is either not paying attention or they’re living in a different world than we are! The adage “All’s well that ends well” is true enough though, and this post is the last you’re liable to read on our moving adventures.

When people talk about retiring to Florida, different images come to mind depending on what Florida you know.  We wintered here in Titusville for four years so we came to know the city and the area pretty good.  It’s very different living here permanently as compared to snow-birding here for the winter months, as now we’re really getting to feel a part of this community.  Our Titusvillage is a town-house Association with 88 town houses in 22 buildings.  We’re 3/10^th of a mile to the YMCA (walking, bicycling distance) and from the Y there is a nice bike path that’s a joy to ride on.  Alice likes the pool for water aerobics, and I’ve been using the weight machines and riding my bike in an effort to get more physically fit.  Living here is more conducive to that end, at least for us anyway. 

We attended our first HOA meeting a few weeks back.  I’ll be on the Board as of the coming year (2013) and I’ve set up a website for the Associationhttp://titusvillagesection1.com/ .  If you go to the photos page on the site you’ll see some snaps of some of the town houses.

Last week we put out a few tomato plants and planted a grapefruit tree and lemon bush.  Also, just for giggles I planted a few small cacti as I love them….Alice not so much.  Now that our Preston home is sold we plan on slowly finishing the furnishings here….we need to pick up some odds and ends as we didn’t feel it was necessary to bring everything from Preston with us and those moving pods only hold so much! (we had two, packed to the gills).

We haven’t camped with the rig since we moved here.  The motor home is being stored at a storage facility in Christmas Florida, about a half hour down the road on US 50.  There’s a Samboree at the Daytona International Raceway in November preceded by a National Good Sam Rally and Alice wants to look into that, but our first local campout will probably be to Jetty Park CG, on the water at Cape Canaveral.http://www.jettypark.org/  .  Our CT camping Club Seaport Sams will be heading for the Berkshires the end of this month for their last camp-out and we’re going to miss not going to Country Aire, and our good friends at Seaport.  Way back in-the-day Alice and myself started the Northward final hurrah campout, initially going to Travelers Woods on the recommendation of a good Power Squadron friend Bob Smith.  The Club went to Travelers Woods for several years, and then we migrated to Country Aire CG.  It has to have been ten years now the Club has headed north for the fall foliage…and we always enjoyed the Shelburne Falls, Greenfield area for sure.  It was always a bitter-sweet campout in that the next step after that campout was the winterization of the rig, the rig not being used again until the following April.  Another change:  We won’t be winterizing a motor home or boat…and are actually planning camping trips through the coming winter.  It works for us!! J.