Had Bounder..... Have Phaeton..... Will Travel

Mark & Chris's Phaeton Place

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Fri, 22 May 2009 01:54:00 +0000

I've posted our first entry on our new Phaeton Place blog. You can find the link to it in the right margin and by clicking on the title of this entry. Once you are on the new Phaeton Place blog, I invite you to please click on the Followers button in the right margin so you can keep up with our travels. I will also put a link to our Bounder blog on the new blog to make it easier to flip back and forth.

This will be my last post on the Bounder blog. Thank you to all our readers over the last two years and we hope you will continue to follow our adventures in our new Phaeton.

Back in Ottawa

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Thu, 21 May 2009 01:56:00 +0000

Overnight at Cracker Barrel was great. Very quiet. We had a nice breakfast at Cracker Barrel this morning before heading for Ogdensburg, NY on Hwy 37. Once we arrived at the border, we learned that our documentation from Lazydays had not arrived until yesterday morning. Usually the border needs your documentation in hand 3 days before you cross the border. Today things were a little slow at the crossing and I had a really helpful US Border guard. He found my documentation and had us processed in less than 30 minutes. The Canadian side went just as smoothly too. I paid the GST on the purchase price converted into Cdn$. From there it was clear sailing on into Ottawa. We parked the motorhome out at the farm in Sarsfield and unloaded what we will need for the next 4 days that we are in Ottawa.

Hoping to be able to sort out the Ontario registration process tomorrow if all goes well.

Chris back to work tomorrow. Lots of running around for me.

Watertown, NY

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Tue, 19 May 2009 23:03:00 +0000

We left Gettysburg Farm at 08:30 am and pulled into the Cracker Barrel in Watertown, NY around 4:30 pm. Weather was fabulous the whole way. Clear blue skies and around 70F for the most part. Traffic rolled right along on I-83 and I-81. The toughest part was getting back on I-83 at York from the campground. Same bottle neck as the other day. We averaged a little over 60 mph the whole way and right around 8 mpg. One more stop for fuel at the Flying J in New Milford, PA before we entered NY state. $2.379 a gallon and that should be enough to get us all the way back to Ottawa.

Supper at Cracker Barrel and a little stroll through the neighboring Home Depot to pick up a spare water filter cartridge for our new refrigerator. Time to let Chris teach me a lesson in Wii Golf.

Crossing the border tomorrow.....hopefully.

Gettysburg Farm Campground

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Tue, 19 May 2009 09:26:00 +0000

Our drive into Pennsylvania from Virginia was very picturesque. We followed Hwy 301 over the Potomac River on into Maryland. I don't mind saying that my butt went a little water tight as we kept climbing the incline on the bridge to the middle of the river for what seemed like far too long. The sensation is a little different sitting so much higher in a motorhome. All of a sudden those railings between us, the edge of the bridge and the river far below looked a little weak. But we made it in one piece and then from there it was pretty much clear sailing on Interstates on up into PA. Traffic was moderate but moved right along the whole way until we turned off I-83 at York, PA onto Hwy 30.

This was our first time at Gettysburg Farm and we really like it. It is located west of York at 6200 Big Mount Road and is an actual working farm. The park was about half full. Big gravel sites with full hook ups for our motorhome. It is early in the season and things are just getting going. In fact, some of the work camper staff only arrived last week. Lots of animals and things to do for the children. We even ran into some people we met at Thousand Trails parks in Florida the past two winters.

Yesterday, Chris and I drove into the Amish area in Lancaster county and visited the village of Bird-In-Hand. We were here two years ago on a tandem cycling trip to Hershey and really enjoyed the experience. We ate at the Plain and Fancy Farm on route 340, half way between Bird-In-Hand and Intercourse. I won't bore you with my warped sense of humour but there are a few place names around here that bring a smile to my face. Fabulous food and plenty of it is all we can say. We took advantage of two $3 discount coupons that we found in a local brochure, so the price for dinner was really quite reasonable.

After that we toured the back roads for a few pictures and then stopped at the Amish Village in town for a tour of an authentic Amish farm. The photos you see here were taken at the farm which is now right next to a Target store mall on route 340.

We learned yesterday that we may have hit a wrinkle for crossing the border as well. It appears that Lazydays did not send the required documentation to the border crossing at Ogdensburg, NY in a timely fashion. They overnighted it yesterday so it should be there sometime this morning if all goes well. Everything I have read online at RIV.ca says that documentation must arrive at least 3 days prior to the vehicle being imported into Canada. We plan to cross on Wednesday afternoon, so hopefully that will be enough time for them to let us proceed on our way. If not, Chris will head back to Ottawa in our toad, so she can work on Thursday and I will wait at the border until I can cross. Stay tuned.

George Washington Birthplace National Monument

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Sun, 17 May 2009 10:16:00 +0000

Yesterday, we had a great time touring around Westmoreland State Park and George Washington Birthplace National Monument. Both sites are within 30 minutes of this Outdoor World. Click on the title to link to the National Park Service for more information. Our ranger guide was a fountain of information and had done extensive genealogical research into the Washington family. The grounds are amazing and right on the banks of the Potomac River.

We returned to our site by mid afternoon and I just had to give this Dri-Wash I bought in Chesapeake Bay a go. Walt Fulton, who we met in Peace River last year was a few sites down at Chesapeake and I was always amazed how his coach and rig sparkled. Dri-wash is a waterless cleaning compound that works wonders both inside and outside our Phaeton. Spray on, wipe off with one micro fibre towel, and then buff with a second micro fibre towel. Results are fast and awesome. We did the whole coach up to about 7 feet high, but only because we didn't have a ladder with us. Then we tackled the Vue which was filthy. Wow! I think our photo speaks for itself.

Today, we are heading to Gettysburg Farm in Dover, PA which is another ODW park. We are going to be daring and try taking Hwy 301, I-695 and I-83 through Washington, DC and Baltimore as well. It's Sunday, so perhaps traffic will be light.

I thought readers might also like to know that I am working on a new blog as well. Ken and Faye suggested a title to us that Ken's son Mike came up with and we loved the idea. Some of you will no doubt remember the Peyton Place TV series from the 60s...... Yep, we will be introducing "Phaeton Place", but likely not until we get back to Ottawa when I will have more time to get things set up properly. Thanks Mike for a great idea!

Harbor View - Outdoor World

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Sat, 16 May 2009 01:39:00 +0000

We are at Harbor View for a couple of nights. This is our first experience with an Outdoor World park. It is much smaller than any of the Thousand Trail parks we have been to but all in all it is pretty nice. Located in Colonial Beach, VA just east of Oak Grove on Hwy 3. Sites are a little on the small size for our phaeton but we found something on a corner lot that worked out pretty well. All pull thru sites were already full. This park is closed over the winter and only reopened last week. Lots of room. Hard seeing exactly where all the sites were actually because most are still covered with fallen leaves.

We scouted out the area a little this afternoon and are hoping to visit George Washington's birth place and Westmoreland State Park, both of which are just down the road a few miles. General Robert E Lee also grew up in these parts.

Hopefully, we'll have a few pictures for you tomorrow.

TTN Chesapeake Bay

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Wed, 13 May 2009 21:20:00 +0000

We left Walterboro, SC around 7:30 am yesterday to grey skies and a little light rain but things soon brightened up. Temps were noticeably cooler than the Tampa area, so that was a welcome relief. The drive north on I-95 was uneventful with the exception of one or two slow downs, but certainly nothing major. Looks like some repaving is underway in South Carolina. Anything would be an improvement to the shake, rattle and roll on some stretches. We stopped at the Flying J in Latta, SC at Exit 181 and found diesel for $2.039, the cheapest since Florida. Then it was clear sailing on up to I-64 East and then onto Hwy 33 on into TTN Chesapeake Bay, where we arrived just after 4 pm. Pretty easy drive of just under 400 miles. Only thing wrong with the Phaeton was the lack of power to our two 12v sockets on the dash, but that shouldn't be too difficult to remedy. Both fuses are fine just no juice flowing, so I may have to pop off the dash cover and have a look behind to check the wiring.

We set up in a site right behind our friends Ken and Faye and were already for our first social call by 5 pm. Ken is still laid up, recovering from knee surgery and his mild heart attack. He looks good though and was happy to see us pop by for a visit. We made sure not to stay too long though.

Faye was kind enough to arrange a pickleball game for us this morning with Artie and Debbie from Ormond Beach, Florida. Chris and I were up early and fit in a nice run out the main access road to the Hwy 198 turn off before coming back for pickleball. We enjoyed meeting new people and playing again. Hopefully we can keep up the games as we go west from time to time.

We drove into Gloucester this afternoon to have a look around. Artie and Debbie suggested we stop at Trader Joe's on Jefferson Rd to pick up some fresh fish and a few groceries. Also picked up a six pack of Kennebunkport Blueberry Wheat Ale. We are just about ready to sit down to some grilled mahi mahi and salad with beer chasers for supper. Anyone care to join us?

Walterboro, South Carolina

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Mon, 11 May 2009 23:30:00 +0000

We awoke at 6 am to another hot and sunny day in Tampa and were all ready to get going by 7 am. We had planned to pack up the Phaeton and move it out to the main parking lot at Rally Park so I could have the toad all hooked up and ready to go for when our driver showed up. Not "our" driver in the chauffeur sense of the word, but our driver who would do the out of state delivery to Valdosta, GA for us, so we wouldn't have to pay the Florida state sales tax. Anyway, Jack, showed up about 30 minutes early, so we left right around 7:30 am, which suited us just fine. Jack was the same driver we had for our Bounder delivery back in May 2007. What a great guy and so knowledgeable too. I was a sponge and soaked up any advice he chose to share. Chris sat on the sofa reading her book. We were in Valdosta before noon and on our way to Brunswick, GA on I-95 after seeing a Notary Public and a quick bit of lunch. We pulled into the Flying J at Brunswick, where we were originally going to spend the night, at 2:30 pm, but decided to push on to Walterboro, SC instead. Skies were blue, so why not.
Our phaeton drives like a dream. Much quieter and smoother running than our Bounder with very nice captain and co-pilot seats. I think the tag axle makes it handle much better on the highway. We averaged 60 mph most of the way and never budged at all when semis went by us in either direction.

We hit some serious thunderstorms in Savanah, GA as you can see from the pictures above. Temperatures must have dropped at least 20F because of the rain. It rained so hard, it washed off all the kamikaze love bugs that had impaled themselves all over our windshield in Florida. Better than a car wash or pressure washer.

So here we are back at the Super Walmart at exit 57. Only three RVs here tonight. Supper is done and we get to watch some satellite TV and some season finales before bed. We'll make it to the Chesapeake Bay Thousand Trails park east of Richmond, VA tomorrow night and spend a few days in that area before pushing on into Pennsylvania.

Last Day in Florida

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Sun, 10 May 2009 23:36:00 +0000

We spent the day waxing as much of the Phaeton as we could. We used a borrowed buffing machine which made it a bit easier but we still needed to use plenty of elbow grease too. Thankfully, one half of our coach was in the shade first thing this morning. We hit 34C of 93F here in Tampa today and not a lick of wind anywhere until later in the afternoon. Had to be at least a 20F difference going from sun to shade. Definitely time to head back north.

The highlight of our day was rearranging our two pull through storage trays. We threw out quite a bit of stuff because we never use it and frankly, as any RVer knows , space is always at a premium in an RV. Someone walked off with our portable satellite dish which we never used.
We stayed around Rally Park most of the day except for a quick stop at Camping World to pick up a new sewer hose. Hamburgers on the BBQ for supper. We are ready for an 8 am departure to Valdosta in the morning. Time to hit the road.

Mr Coffee....R.I.P....

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Sun, 10 May 2009 00:30:00 +0000

We are all set up in our new Phaeton in site 192 at Rally Park. Lazydays finished touching up a few paint chips that we insisted be done as part of the sale. They also sent it back to detailing for a complete wash and buff as well. Our set of MCD RV Innovations tag-wheel covers arrived from the manufacturer in McKinney, Texas via over night delivery.

Nothing to do now but wait until Monday for our out of state delivery to Valdosta, GA. We had hoped to be on the road on Sunday but a driver and follow car were impossible to arrange because it is Mother's Day. Papers are all signed and we are ready to hit the road by 8 am on MOnday. So, one more day in Florida.

I awoke this morning to dutifully make our morning cup of Joe in our 2 year old Mr Coffee machine. Much to my surprise, no lights on it working anywhere. I thought perhaps a GFI plug needed to be reset but nope, that wasn't it. Turns out Mr Coffee, had indeed bit the big one, was pushing up daisies, had gone to the big appliance graveyard in the sky, was dead in the water. In a touching ceremony, we gently placed it at the curb with the rest of our trash and within 20 minutes, it was all gone.

A trip to Walmart later today, and we found a fancy, reincarnated Mr Coffee with a spiffy metal caraffe. It now adorns the same counter space as the old one.

Done....Almost!

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:52:00 +0000

Most all adjustments have now been completed. The new storage tray is in, Tyron anti blow rings have been installed on the front axle and nitrogen fill in all the tires. I worked until almost 9 pm last night, moving the rest of our "stuff" from the Bounder storage bays into the Phaeton. I got it all in....just! Then this morning, I found a small bay I had forgotten to empty on the Bounder. Good thing I double checked as it had both wheels for our tandem bicycle in it. Hard to ride a bike with no wheels. Duh! We will definitely be culling some none essential things before leaving here and then also putting some stuff in storage before we head for Alaska on June 13th. Chris arrives in Tampa this afternoon, so I expect she will be putting her superior organization skills to use almost immediately.

Thought you might like to read a blog by a couple we know who are presently on their way to Alaska. In fact, they should be crossing into Alberta from Montana today if the weather holds. We met Greg and Marilyn Gundy in Peace River last year. Hope you enjoy the read.

http://gundyville.blogspot.com/

Lazydays...Bay 12.....Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Wed, 06 May 2009 11:47:00 +0000

Spent a second night in bay 12 because the after market tray they looked at putting in my second pull thru storage bay would not fit. Apparently, even though the actual tray itself is the same size as the OEM tray in the first storage bay, the two rails holding it to the floor are each 2 inches wider (4 inches total), ergo....it no fitty! My solution, which Lazydays has agreed to do, remove an OEM slide from another Tiffin model on the lot and install on my coach. I explained that Chris arrives tomorrow afternoon and I want our new coach set up at Rally Park before that. No problem was the answer. Guess we will shall see today. The bay is still pretty comfortable, though not much of a view.

Lazydays...Bay 12

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Tue, 05 May 2009 11:36:00 +0000

Monday morning I said goodbye to Jim and Jane who are off to Alberta. We'll meet up with them again in June when we join up to head to Alaska.

Our new Phaeton spent last night in service bay 12. Pull out tray is almost installed and the surge protector was removed from our Bounder yesterday and will go on the Phaeton today. I have never understood why surge protectors are not installed as standard equipment at the factory. I've decided to go with the nitrogen fill for the tires and also to have a set of Tyron bands installed on the front wheels. These are designed to keep the tires on the rims in the event of a blow out. Safety first, right. A few more things to look after, some cosmetic scratch removal outside, and hopefully I'll be unloading the rest of the Bounder into the Phaeton storage bays today. May even be over at Rally Park beginning tonight. The service bay is alright though for a few nights...full hookups.

Time for another free breakfast and Starbucks coffee compliments of Lazydays. Looks like another hot and humid day in Tampa again today.

Our New Motorhome!!

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Sat, 02 May 2009 22:42:00 +0000

We loved the porch on this Country Coach but thought it was just a little over the top. This one is parked just down the lot from us in deliveries. It is on display. No purchaser just yet. This isn't our new coach. Here is our new 2009 42 ft Phaeton. We are on a delivery site at Lazydays until Monday at which time they will move us over to Rally Park for a week before we start to head back to Ontario. I've spent the last two days moving our things out of the Bounder and into the Phaeton. Chris even helped out over the web cam, suggesting the best place to put things. Ain't technology grand! I have everything out of the living area, just need to empty the storage bins. I'm waiting for another roll tray to be installed in the second pull through bay in our Phaeton before unloading anything else. No point in moving it more than once. Bedroom of course with king size bed and tons of storage..
Dining area, residential refrigerator, Panasonic Viera 32" TV

Kitchen area with 3 burner propane stove, microwave and pull out island. Again, tons of storage.
Two euro recliners with foot stools will be a big improvement over the two sofas we had in our Bounder. Lots more storage.

Note the tag axle on the Phaeton. This gives a much better ride on the open highway. Lazydays still has a few things to look after for us. They are moving the Progressive Industries 50 amp surge protector we added to the Bounder into the Phaeton.

Now I have to go and read the mountain of owner manual material and watch the DVD that Tiffin provides with the motorhome.

Lastly, given we have a new motorhome, we will have to consider either changing the title of my blog or simply start a new one. All suggestions will be given fair consideration.

Mobile Internet Options

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:08:00 +0000

Last day here at Thousand Trails. I've kept busy these past few days playing pickleball in the mornings with Rich and Dee Pagliaro, Pat and John Lively, couples we met here last year, and a few new players I have only just met. Managed to get out yesterday afternoon for a few groceries and a haircut too. Even washed the Vue.....no water restrictions here.

Given that we are heading off to Alaska in mid June, I've also been busy researching our options for mobile internet while on the road in Canada. While our Verizon modem works well in the USA, roaming charges would apply if we used it in Canada and that becomes quite costly. My Verizon connection costs me just over $US60 for unlimited data every month and I generally use about 5-6 GB of data each month. Uploading photographs, watching photoshop instructional tutorials and voice/video calls on MSN Messenger account for much of my monthly usage. None of the Canadian cell phone companies offer good cellular data programs. Rogers, Bell and Telus charge outrageous amounts for data plans. For example, Rogers presently offers a 3 GB monthly data plan for the exorbitant amount of $CDN 125 per month! Further, I suspect that plan only works in larger cities that have the 3G infrastructure. Much of Canada is rural with limited cell phone connectivity in some areas, so it follows that if there is no cell phone coverage in a given area, there will be no internet coverage either. Need another option.

That leaves mobile satellite internet. I've been dealing with Armand Lalonde at http://techmcw.com/ in Lindsay, Ontario. They offer both the roof mounted motorized satellite and also a tripod mounted dish version of Anywhere Internet. The roof mounted system features fully automatic setup and storage at the flick of a switch but is quite costly. Also, one needs a clear view of the southern sky in order to get a good signal. Some RV parks make finding an open site difficult, so if parked under a tree or even near trees or a building that block out the southern sky....no signal. For that reason, the tripod system looks much more promising. The basic system comes with a 74 cm dish but the coverage maps show limited or no coverage in northeastern British Columbia, Yukon or Alaska. However , the 98 cm (around 3 feet) dish should give us coverage in all the areas we will be visiting. We can also add an LNB for ExpressVu to the internet dish which could be a handy feature if we can't get a TV signal with our roof dome. Won't be as quick to set up as our plug in Verizon USB modem, but lots of RVers use satellite internet and setup time should decrease once I familiarize myself with the system. Chris and I are planning a family visit to Hanover, Ontario in late May, so we'll stop in Lindsay, Ontario to check out Armand's product line while enroute.

I've decided to head back over to Tampa this afternoon. I managed to get a good deal on a week stay at RallyPark thanks to Demond McKinley. Might even get to see Jim and Jane if they are still at Lazydays. They have a service scheduled for today before they hit the road for Alberta.

Goodbye Tampa....hello Orlando

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 13:42:00 +0000

Friday was "its all fixed" day at Lazydays. I stayed in bay 73 on Thursday and waited around most of the day Friday before repairs were finished. Hot water works great now. My service rep, Rich Figuero, was great to deal with and bent over backwards to help. He even sprang for another night at RallyPark for me because it was getting late. I was back in site 90 (see photo)for free for another night. Demond McKinley, the salesman who we bought our Bounder from in 2007 accompanied me out to their Phaeton display area. Chris and I really liked a 42 footer with the tag axle they have on display. Demond and I even took it out for a spin on I-75N. It has tons of pull through storage underneath which is a real plus. We are finding the Bounder a little limited in that regard. Too many toys I suppose. Maybe one day.........

I packed up Saturday morning and headed up I-4 to Thousand Trails on Hwy 27 just north of Hwy 192. The park is not very busy at all, so getting a site wasn't a problem. Not much in the way of pickleball here at the moment. Seems all the players have gone home. I went for a nice walk around the campground last night and met a fulltimer couple who really love their 40 foot Phaeton. This morning was a great run.

Lazydays.........Still!

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 23:15:00 +0000

We enjoyed a nice stay at Rallypark last night. Our friends, Jim and Jane, came up from Wauchula this morning. They had business in Tampa and popped by to see us first. We had a good visit while waiting for our part to arrive at Lazydays and also a nice lunch at Cracker Barrel. Our Bounder spent the afternoon in the shop and we learned late today that we will have to go back again tomorrow morning as well. So another night at Rallypark which is fine with us as the park is quite nice and only 40 minutes from Tampa International Airport. We'll run the motorhome back into Lazydays at 9 am tomorrow, Chris to the airport for a mid afternoon departure back to Ottawa and hopefully things will be all fixed, so that I can head up to Orlando after dropping her at the airport.

We got back into Rallypark around 6 pm and quickly set things up again. While putting out the dining room slide I noticed something stuck to the side of it just above the bottom edge. Turned out to be a little frog. Look how well he camouflages and matches the colour of our slide. An unexpected hitchhiker.

Fort Desoto

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:06:00 +0000

Chris and I spent last night camped in the parking lot at Lazydays again. We waited for overnight delivery of a circuit board for our energy management system. Unfortunately, we learned after lunch today that the part did not arrive, so Lazydays has kindly put us up at the Rallypark across the street at no cost. Hopefully the part arrives Wednesday. In any event, we will stay here until Thursday, when Chris flies back to Ottawa from Tampa. Makes no sense to drive to Thousand Trails in Orlando tomorrow afternoon, only to have to run her back to the airport in Tampa on Thursday.

We were up before sunrise this morning and drove out to Fort Desoto in St Petersburg. We spent a few days here last year on our tandem bicycle and really enjoyed the beaches. Today, we both had our cameras going. I caught this snowy egret on the fishing pier mooching a few scraps of fish from the guys fishing on the pier. We enjoyed a morning of warm sunshine after a stormy day yesterday. The top shot was taken looking north from the fishing pier as well.

On The Road Again

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 21:42:00 +0000

Well, I am just about all packed up and ready for the short drive up to Lazydays in Tampa tomorrow. Planning on hitting the road before 10 am which should put me in Lazydays' parking lot around noon. Lots of time to drop the motorhome, unhitch the Vue and head for Tampa airport to pick up Chris. Hoping Lazydays will only need Monday to repair the electric on our water heater. Then it is on up the road to Orlando for a couple of weeks. We'll be staying at the Thousand Trails park on Hwy 27 just north of 192.

View Larger Map

Susan Boyle - Britain's Got Talent 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:30:00 +0000

I saw this on CanadaAM this morning and had to immediately go online to check out this YouTube clip of her week 1 performance. Susan Boyle is absolutely amazing! Clicking on the title should take you to the YouTube link. All I can say is "WOW"! Go Susan go!

Venice Rookery - Part Deux

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:10:00 +0000

My new Gitxo GT3541XLS tripod arrived Monday evening around 5 pm via UPS. I set it up with the new Wimberley II head complete with flash bracket and mounted my 5D2 with the 500mm lens. This tripod handles this camera/lens combination with ease. I only need to extend 3 sections on each leg to bring the tripod to my eye level. Can't imagine ever needing the 4th section unless I am in some very difficult terrain.

I scooted over to the rookery in Venice again this morning to put my new set up through its paces. A bit nicer day than the first trip there last week. There was a small photo excursion group already at the rookery. The leader was a girl named Laurie from Oregon and she had a very nice Nikon set up with a wicked frame rate for continuous shooting. I was a little more selective on the pictures I took this morning than the last time. Tried working more on composition instead of just taking lots of pictures. This great blue heron landed about 10 meters away from me. It was foraging for nest material and flying back and forth to its nest for about an hour while we all stood and took pictures. I think the heron knew full well what we were doing.

Weather turned ugly this afternoon. Quite stormy on the way back and then what had been out in the Gulf finally blew into Sebring around 6 pm. Lots of wind and rain. Hopefully the awnings stay on the windows. The power has been out for about 40 minutes so far but I've got the inverter running so no lack of power in our Bounder.

Pond Life

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:55:00 +0000

I caught this little guy sticking his head out of the water at the pond down the road this morning shortly after sunrise. And the bird (not sure what kind), sat on a bush for about 5 minutes preening itself. Both shot with my 500 lens with 1.4 converter from the driver's seat while parked (of course).

I played pickleball for the first time in a month after injuring my wrist. Hardly any pain anymore, just the odd twinge every now and then. I still have the wrist wrapped for extra support. I think things went pretty well. Played well and rested lots too.

A bunch of us went out for brunch at Bob Evans.....kind of our Easter dinner and it was very nice. We have a last supper planned for Homer's on April 16th, a few days before everyone packs up and heads for home. I'm running the rig up to Lazydays in Tampa next Sunday and will pick Chris up at the airport later that same day.

LOOKING LEFT, looking left (GET it?)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 01:36:00 +0000

This a cropped version of the original shot of a great egret and chick on nest I took at Venice rookery the other day. I had to work on this one quite a bit in Photoshop CS4 and am still not totally happy with it. I need lots of practice in CS4. I cloned out a few annoying branches behind the baby's head and also blurred the background more than it was in the original in an effort to put more focus on the two main subjects. I even thought about cloning out the big branches behind the mother but wasn't sure I had the skills to do it without making it looked PSd. So I'm going with this one for now. Let me know what you think please by leaving a comment or two.

By the way, if you look closely, I think there is a second chick in the nest to the left of the one sitting up. It never moved at all during the time I was there so I suspect it may not have survived.

Great Blue Herons

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:34:00 +0000

Had a chance to have a look through some more photos from the Venice Rookery yesterday. This pair of herons were busy adding twigs to their nest and going through the usual mating rituals. Neither seemed at all phased by the 3 or 4 photographers poking huge lenses towards them throughout the morning. The fellow below just sat and posed like a good fellow. Tomorrow, I'm hoping to head up to Lake Wales to get my awning sunshade cut back in size just a little. The sunshade is a two piece model made by J+J Sunshade with the smaller top piece channeling into the furrow of the main awning roller. It hangs down about 2 feet from the awning when it is extended. I'd like to cut that back to about a foot if possible so that it can be rolled up inside the awning when retracted. Forgot to check if J+J will be open with the Easter weekend pending, so I'll have to call them first.

Venice Rookery

noreply@blogger.com (Mark and Chris) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 23:24:00 +0000

I was up early this morning to make the 2 hour drive to Venice, FL south of Sarasota by sunrise and on the road by 5 am. I wasn't really sure what to expect even though I had read lots online about it. The rookery is essentially a group of large bushes located about one hundred feet offshore in a small pond by the Venice Audobon Society offices, just off Tamiami Rd S in Venice. Right behind the Florida Highway Patrol office. It was still dark when I arrived just before 7 am, so hard seeing much of anything. I pulled into the parking lot across from the pavillion and pond and could make out hundreds of birds in the rookery just off shore. Great egrets, great blue herons, ibises, anhingas, cormorants and many others. A pretty amazing sight.

I spent almost 3 hours taking photographs filling an 8GB compact flash card completely. I was alone for the first hour before a couple from Waterloo, Ontario joined me. I picked up a few tips about Gitzo tripods which I have been looking at. Much cooler today than yesterday with a chilly wind blowing but I persevered in shorts and sandals! The sun came out occasionally but for the most part it remained overcast most of the day. Lots more photos to process.