Tuesday - Lulu and I Enjoyed EPCOT Together

In EPCOT - the entrance to the World Showcase


In England - we loved the British Revolution.

We had a big week scheduled for Disneyworld. Disney offered great discounts to Florida residents - $49 for hotel rooms - and $138 three day passes. Then - we had a funeral to attend in Pennsylvania. We had the choice of canceling the Disney visit -and flying from Tallahassee. Instead we chose to do the Disney trip and fly to Tamaqua from Sanford FL.

So we enjoyed Disneyworld Monday and Tuesday. Then we flew north leaving Disneyworld at 4 AM Wednesday. We got to Allentown at 9:30 and Tamaqua at 11AM.

Wednesday night the viewing was at 6PM and Thursday the funeral was at St Jerome Church at 11:00. Lulu delivered the eulogy. Then we had a dinner at Trinity Church. Now we are at Lulu's old home - she is napping away - she can relax now a bit and try to enjoy the visit.

When we return to Central Florida Saturday - we will go back to Disneyworld to finish our visit.  Then we head home to Tallahassee Sunday.


Disney's gardens are top drawer


We visited China and a 360 degree movie


One of my favorite shows is - The Lion King


Lulu is right at home in Germany - particular with a brat and
pretzel - Sauerkraut - and grapefruit beer


This German band says something to us


Germans love their model train yards.


This garden train yard is exposed to the weather all the time.


The 7 dwarfs in flowers.


Snow White - who is the fairest of them all - Lulu.


I want to build 2 guest houses - this could be one.


In England - the British tea garden.


Alice was  in England.


There was a rock concert here just 10minutes ago - see video.


This could be our second guest house - in Canada.


Lulu loved Niagra Falls in Canada.


Front and back.  I love that girl.

Cousins Carl and MaryLou Made It To the End of Route 66

Going Home To Tamaqua PA Via Disneyworld

Fred and Sue showed us their
2016 Mercedes Camper



We arrive in Disneyworld just in time of the 3 PM parade.

We are on our way home to Tamaqua PA for the funeral. We had a few other things scheduled for the week - and decided to try to fit them all in - before we boarded the jet to Allentown PA.

First we had a visit scheduled with Fred and Sue. They own a 2016 Mercedes camper we are interested in. They were driving from Sarasota to Orlando and it was an opportunity for us to test the camper. We had a nice visit with them at noon on Monday.

The camper is wonderful with only 8000 miles on it. They are asking $68000 for it. It sleeps six and has a full bath room and kitchen. It is a diesel with diesel generator. After driving it about 20 miles we had to move on.

Next we checked into our Disney All-Star Hotel. We had some Florida resident discounts that provided us rooms for $49 a night and 3 day passes to the parks for $138 each. If we did not show up - we lost much of our money. After checking in to our hotel - we entered the Magic Kingdom at about 3 PM. The park was not real busy - but our energy tanks were running low. We rode on many rides and attractions - and made it to the fireworks and closing at 10 PM. We both crashed into our beds at 11 PM - Lulu after a short swim in the Disney pool.

It is 9 AM on Tuesday as I write - we had a good night sleep. We will go into EPCOT today - not staying real late tonight.

Wednesday morning at 7 AM we have a flight to Allentown to catch. We will have to wake up at 4 AM - just to be safe.

This is the first time in a long time we will be flying straight to Allentown from Florida. Usually we have to go through Atlanta - Charlotte - or Philadelphia. Allegiant Airlines has a no frills flight from Sanford for $300 round trip each. This is the first time we are paying for a bag too :-)  We had to buy last minute due to the funeral - and it was the best way from Tallahassee.

We will be in Tamaqua from Wednesday to Saturday - staying in Lulu's old bedroom.

Saturday - depending on how we feel - we have one last Disney Pass. We will either spend the day in Disneyworld or just drive straight home to Tallahassee.

At short notice - we are pleased with the trip so far. We have to pace ourselves a bit better. Yesterday we walked 7 miles - woke up at 6 AM - and were going solid to 11 PM.

We are looking forward to seeing family and friends back in Tamaqua for 4 days.

Very nice toilet and shower

Bed was perfect - 7 feet long

Fred and Sue are from England
but in the USA 45 years

The camper has a slide out.

Georgeann - Lulu's Cousin Died Saturday

Jim and Georgeann Boyle Knowles drove 1000 miles to
stay in our old Florida guest house.

Georgeann and Barry Manilow in Las Vegas

I remember Lulu's cousin many ways. Georgeann and Lulu were best friends and family devils ever since I knew them. They would celebrate together - and make up any reason to celebrate. The highlight of both of their lives was to have Cousins' Trip with cousins Ruth Ann and Cathy.  Sometimes it meant moving Christmas a few months - with Christmas tree and presents. Thanks to our friend Michele - she loaned her Cocoa Beach beach condo 4 years in a row - the Cousins could escape to their childhood - laughing - running - and playing on the beach.

There are many ways I could remember Georgeann - but my absolute best would be that night in Las Vegas. She was a big Barry Manilow fan - she must have seen his show 50 times. One shining moment - she was called up on stage - and the rest was history -



Georgeann's viewing will be Wednesday night at Connie Zizelman's in Tamaqua PA. The funeral service will be Thursday. We will be flying up on the Sanford FL to Allentown PA non-stop jet on Wednesday morning  - the same flight the Cousins used on their beach adventures.

On the beach at Cocoa - with her Seminoles shirt on

Ruth Ann - Cathy - Lulu - Georgeann
A New York City Christmas

The shirts say - we are all the same color inside
People thought they were gay - they were gay (happy)

The Florida Capitol and a long drive from home

Lunch at my restaurant

Have you ever seen the famous Help video?

Christmas at the Tamaqua Train Station 

Lulu - sisters Betty and Dolores - Georgeann

Supper on the Boardwalk

Our Next Camper

Ford has a better idea.

Visting Old Friends - Dick and Jan Davis - in Maricopa Arizona

We just spend 9 days in Arizona - much of it with our buddies Jan and Dick Davis. They have lived in Arizona for the past 35 years where Dick worked in the funeral industry. Of course - they are famous back in Pennsylvania for running Davis Funeral Home - the hub of activity in Tamaqua PA for years.

We were friends when they left Tamaqua - and we are now best friends since we left Tamaqua. We have so much in common to talk about. We were lucky to be able to rent a home across the street from the Davis's. Half the time we spent in Tucson - Bisbee - Tombstone - and Benson. The other half was spent waking up across the street and having meals together and enjoying sunrises.

In our group is also Carl and Marylou Zimmerman - they were also in our rat pack back home. They are coming out to Arizona to visit in a couple weeks. It would have been perfect to have them with us in that rental home across the street.

Maricopa is a new town developed on land in the Ak-Chin Indian Reservation. It is well equipped with recreational facilities - beautiful gardens - and a Harrah's Casino. The desert was in beautiful bloom - and we were not ready for how green it was. It is fleeting though - summer comes quickly with its 100+ temperature days. We experienced humidity below 5% - you dry out quickly here.

This trip was the official opening of Lulu's 16 months of sabbatical from FSU. Yes - she will be doing project while on leave - but we will mostly be on the road. A sabbatical is supposed to be a retreat - a word Lulu does not understand. We hope to see Dick and Jan again during the "retreat."

Camper Show in Arizona - We Could Have Driven One Home

The Arizona Cardinals play here. But Sunday
 it was full of campers - and us. 

Sunday - we got up at 6 AM in Maricopa AZ. We never got adjusted to the time change. We were always in bed by 9 PM and up ay 6 AM. Some of the best times we had on the trip were with Dick and Jan at sunrise. The back of their home faces sunrise - and the cool desert air blew through their home. 

We had a 1 PM flight home - which meant we should be at the airport at 11 AM. So about 9 AM - we said our goodbyes - and pointed the Kia rental car north to Phoenix. Before we flew we wanted to see a motor home show being held into Arizona Cardinals Stadium. It did not open until 10 AM - but we hoped  if we arrived early - they would let us in. We arrived around 9:30 and yes - they let us in early. 

It was small motor home heaven. We had the whole place to ourselves. There were about 50 of the latest campers laid out in air-conditioned comfort - inside an NFL arena. All the models were clearly marked on the windshield - many with deep discounts. The salesmen left us alone - answering any questions - but not pestering. 

Campers were priced from about $20k to about $200k. We stayed away from anything over $150k

We found 3 campers we loved. 

Camper Number 1 We Liked - This is a 2017 Winnebago Trend 23 for $70k. It has a big rear bathroom with separate shower. The 2 single beds are gigantic and can be joined into a king bed. It is on a Dodge Promaster chassis. It is big enough to travel with many people. This could be a nice travel van and a great guest house anywhere. 

The beds of the Winnebago Trend

Second Camper We Liked Very Much - Hymer makes this very light trailer for about $20k. It can towed with anything because it weighs about only 1800 pounds. The top goes up and down making it able to fit in our garage. We could pull it with our Honda van. It has a nice bathroom and bed. Hymer is a great German company that just bought our favorite company Roadtrek. What would be nice about  this camper - if we drove north to visit - or drove to the beach - etc - it is easy to disconnect and have your car to drive around. 

Third Camper We Liked Very Much - this was a 2014 Mercedes Winnebago Touring Coach. It was $75k with 12,000 miles on it. When it was new it was about $120k. The finish inside was top drawer. It has a full bathroom - great kitchen - and long beds. This van would blend in anywhere. It gets 20 MPG on diesel fuel. It has a tried and true 188 HP diesel engine. Imagine losing $45k in 3 years of depreciation. 

This Hymer was sold. $59,900 new. Lulu loved the garnet color.

Inside of the Winnebago Trend - our first choice

Inside the Unity

This is the famous Under Hood Generator. 

This system has a big battery - under hood generator - volt start.
You run AC off the battery - then it comes on at night
and charges the big lithium battery.
System cost $20k. 

This $150k Unity is the one Dick Davis covets.
Inside it is all top drawer wood and leather.
It has recliners - and a big murphy bed.

We left the show at 11 AM and were at the airport at 11:30 AM. We forgot to fill the gas tank. Avis wanted $10 a gallon - so we left the airport to get gasoline. We needed 6 gallons - and saved that by filling it ourselves. 

Phoenix airport has the best security. You do not have to open you bags - you do not have to take off your shoes - your walk right through - quickly. We were at our gate 90 minutes before our flight at 1 PM. Our plane was full - we had a nice flight - only 3 hours and 20 minutes to Atlanta. We had supper at Atlanta - then a one hour flight home. We were surprised to see George there at midnight - alas he was there to pick up his son - but he took us home too :-)