Blog #21

 Happy Leap Year Day! and Greetings from Sun n Fun

                                               Caution!  Sandhill Crane Crossing!


We cant believe that we are 2 months into the New Year!  We have been busy learning our new jobs.  Brian works in the Woodworking shop. He is also their machinist, Ruth is in the Museum on Sundays and in the Volunteer Kitchen with 6 other ladies, making lunches for the 75-100 of the volunteers that are here on our Aerospace Center for Excellence Campus. We both work 20-24 hours a week.


Ruth in the Kitchen with the lunch ladies



                                    Junior pilot celebrating his 6 year birthday in or museum          

 We have also been taking care of our yearly health visits, getting established with doctors down here in the Tampa/Lakeland area.  We are both are very impressed with the VA that takes care of Brian.  And the other hosts, and our volunteer coordinator have been helpful in finding opticians, dentists, PCP etc...  Brian had been complaining that his eyesight was not clear.  He got right into the Veterans medical system here, and found out he had cataracts.  So after a month of visits and surgeries, he can see without glasses!




After one of Brians eye appointments in Tampa, we went to the closest place to see Manatees at the Big Bend Power station in Apollo beach. The Power station circulates water for cooling, then sends the water flowing clean and warm back to the bay.  In the winter months the manatees leave colder waters to this warm and welcoming refuge.



                                                                           Cow and calf


Hundreds of Manatees


Our Campus has held many events in these past 2 months.  Pigfest, a BBQ cookoff with at least a hundred competitors, plus a concert and fabulous give aways (We have enough full size bottles of BBQ sauce and packets of Rub to last us a year)    A "Best in Show" Dog Competition. The Family Motor Coach Association Rally    (that brought in $56,000.00)  We show up for events off Campus too, like the, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles show at Plant city airport.  Below are some photos.




PIGFEST!!



PLANES, TRAINS, AUTOMOBILES


Ace's experimental aircraft won the Committee award!





STRAWBERRY CLASSIC DOG SHOW








There were hundreds of dogs, owners, handlers, groomers and spectators!  The most "Handsomest Dog of All", award, who is expertly groomed by a husband-wife team, goes to Teddy Mackey!!  


"Sir Theodore of Georgia" aka Teddy





HOW ABOUT THEM CHIEFS!!!

We went 2 doors down to our neighbors Robin and Dale McAlpine, to a Taco Feast Super Bowl Party.  Attendees were Robin, Dale, Ruth, Brian and Alpine,Teddy and Abby, the 3 mutts.

The McAlpines


Robin and Dale put on a great spread, no easy feat in an RV.  But they have double slide outs and we all had a comfy seat (ours even had power recliner mode)to watch a great nail bitting Super Bowl.


GOOD MORNING AMERICA, comes to our ACE Campus

On our Campus, Friday morning, February 23, ABC's News Rob Marciano tests out the first drone powered vehicle, HEXA, by Link aircraft, that any adult in the general public can train on and fly.  He had 30 minutes instruction!




If your so inclined to learn more, heres their website address.  

https://www.liftaircraft.com


Just so you dont think it's all rainbows and roses   Our 10 gal. water heater sprung a leak.  Luckily, Brian caught it early before any flooding could happen.  He had to call some Camping World stores to find just the right model.  It took 5 days to be delivered.   Brian, Thank Goodness, is a handy guy.  
But in his haste to fix the water heater, he threw the old one in the dumpster.  That night he woke up from his sleep and realised he had marked the old wires and did not take pictures of it.  He got out of bed at 12:30 am and dressed, drove to the big dumpster here on campus, and went dumpster diving, fighting off the raccoons who make nightly raids to our dumpsters around here. He retrieved the wire information that he needed, came home, washed up and came back to bed.
Just like old fashioned camping, we boiled water for dishes, took showers in the ACE campus shower house closest to us for 5 days, till Brian got the new one installed.  




We are enjoying the mild weather here in Lakeland, 40's at night 60-70 during the day.  Though we see some 80's in the forecast.


Out enjoying the morning sun next to our airfield, Linder international.



                    Happy Trail to You, till we meet again!                     


XOX Brian, Ruth and Teddy

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