Where did the time go?

Where has the time gone.  My last blog update was June of last year.  I never intended to be away so long, but like returning from the AT I had forgotten how hard it was to escape all the noise and find some peace.  Here's a replay of what we have been up to since leaving New Zealand.Our first stop was Shadow's family vacation in Gatlinburg, TN.  When I say first stop, I mean first stop.  We left Auckland in the evening and landed in Louisville via a 12 hour layover in San Fran.  My parents met us there where we picked up our car and drove to Gatlinburg.  We then made our way back to Kentucky visiting friends and family along to way only to jump back on an airplane to Florida for a week long Caribbean cruise with some friends.  Upon returning we carefully inspected Beulah for any winter storage damage only to find a large mysterious leak on the roof.  My parents were nice enough to let us use their old tobacco barn for what would be a complete roof replacement.  It was a 7 day job full of blood, sweat, tears, and cursing.  We made it through and blew out of town for Bryson City, NC.  My sister was competing in a kayaking event and that area was a perfect spot to try out our new mountain bikes we bought ourselves for our 9th anniversary.  The month there flew by with a girls weekend with my mom and a exploring the local area with our friends, the Tysons.  The month of October was a weak moment for us.  We moved Beulah to Asheville thinking our unicorn property would be there waiting for a Morton building and finally a place to call home. Unfortunately things  didn't work out with any of the properties.  We sat having breakfast one morning thinking about the cold weather coming and wondering what to do for the winter.  The closest place was Florida but I didn't want to pay the snowbird prices to park Beulah all winter.  We had meet a few people that did something called work-camping.  It's where you work a few hours a week helping the park during their peak season in exchange for free rent.  After calling every RV park from Naples to Hudson, we found one that had an opening.  These spots are treasured positions in Florida.  By the end of the month we were on our way to Clearwater for the winter.Site unseen we pull into Travel World RV Park.  It's off US19 in an area that once was the main drag of the peninsula.  327 lots were full by November and the park was alive with mostly 55 and older couples buzzing around.  Saturday night dances, shuffleboard tournaments, Monday park meetings with free doughnuts, line-dancing, pot-luck dinners, and evening card games.  30% of the park were French-Canadian that ran circles around us.  We began learning French and instantly had 150 sets of grandparents.  I was in charge of the parks pool and hot tub while Shadow kept the park looking good with odd jobs.  Judy (our dog) loved it.  Our company car was a golf cart that said Security on the front.  If you asked anyone, it was Judy's golf cart.  She would sit in the seat and look around as Shadow drove the eleven streets of the park with the wind in her hair.  

Judy watching Haley practice at NOC

Enjoying our new bikes at Tsali

Our favorite town Waynesville, NC

Hiking with our friend Eric and Laurie

Shadow's dream Summer camp

The Mills Girl's Caravan 

Mountain Biking in Dupont Park

SUPing Fort Desoto, FL

Our "Company Vehicle" in Florida