First, Brian and I found a new podcast (new to us) online, and we are completely hooked! We listened to it all the way down to Tampa, Florida for two days, and then all the way home. It’s the most popular true crime podcast available right now. We started listening to the oldest ones first, and they sure have grown since then! ?Good for them! Check it out!

The Crime Junkie Podcast

Last Thursday, Brian and I packed our bags, and he hooked up our camper to the truck. We then set the GPS and headed down to the Tampa Bay area to visit his mom, who isn’t doing very well. 🙁

We always stop halfway there (I can’t sit in a vehicle for 12 hours straight!). However, the GPS went kahooey on us and what should have been a six-hour, first-leg of the trip took nine.

The next day, we arrived at our destination within about four hours. As we drove further south, we watched the outdoor temperature rise, and rise, and rise.

On Friday night, we sat outside the camper in a very nice 55+ campground/mobile home park (that made me feel old!). It was so quiet! There were HUGE Sandhill Cranes (much taller than a toddler!) that looked like they wanted a snack, but we didn’t feed them. Those beaks looked dangerous!!!

There was also a very friendly squirrel who tried to get into the camper at one point! We didn’t feed him, either.

Then, the sun started to set, and we started getting EATEN ALIVE by mosquitoes and no-see-ums. Ug! I forgot about those, too!!

On our back porch in far northwest Georgia, we rarely encounter bloodthirsty creatures. We woke up on Saturday morning with bites EVERYWHERE! We had some organic bug repellent but that did NOT work. It was left over in the camper from a trip years ago.

The next morning, Brian went to the store and bought a big, fat can of OFF.

On Saturday, we went to the nursing home and spent a lovely few hours with Brian’s mother, and even had lunch with her. It’s a very nice place, and the food was outstanding!

On Saturday night, Brian and I sat outside of the camper again. It took three coats (!!!) of Off, but we finally stopped getting bit.

On Sunday, we went to spend more time with Brian’s mom. We had taken her lots of Christian novels (she’s a voracious reader!), a Jesus plush doll (she loved that!), and some large print word search books with gel pens.

On Monday morning, I woke up with a sore throat. 🙁 Thank HEAVEN we were able to see Mom before I got sick! We packed up our stuff to head back north. At 10:30 in the morning, on the east side of Tampa Bay, it was already 101 degrees! We were sweating like CRAZY!

Once we got on the freeway, the camper started swaying so we had to pull over and check the tire pressure. Sure enough, one was lower than the other. Brian fixed that with a very handy portable tire inflator he received from Santa last year, and we were then back on the road. That’s one of those things that you buy, but that you never think you’ll actually need. It saved us a LOT of time!!

Around 3:30 p.m., we stopped at a campground right off of Interstate 75, just north of the Florida border. We got settled, and then we went to The Farmhouse Restaurant just south of Valdosta for some good old southern cooking. It was DELICIOUS!!! Then, we headed back to the camper. We once again pulled out the chairs and sat outside. And, guess what? NO BUGS!!! Weird!!!

We got up early yesterday morning and spent about eight hours on the road. We decided to take the back roads, and enjoy the drive and scenery. Mason had been dog- and chicken-sitting for us. When we got home, his battery was dead, so Brian helped with that before we unloaded and unpacked.

Last night, we sat on our lovely porch. It was 78 degrees with low humidity, and we didn’t have to douse ourselves with Off. 🙂

We have decided that, unless it’s an emergency, we’re not going to Florida in the summertime EVER AGAIN!

Today, I worked while coughing and snotting all over the place. I don’t have a fever, so I’m pretty sure it’s just a cold. The good news is I don’t have to go anywhere. Nobody wants me near them! 😉

RELATED

• I FOUND THE DEAD BODY IN THE BASEMENT!!!
• Finally! Some of Our Poultry Pets Like Me!! (I only got bit twice!!)
• Capturing Coons and Kickin’ the Chicken
• Why We Had to Call the Sheriff + Brian’s Hidden Injury the Hospital Did NOT Find!
• Brian Fell 9 Feet and Broke His Back! But, HE’S ALIVE and NOT Paralyzed!!!

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