MY FIRST FULL WEEK OF BOON DOCKING

March 22 Osceola National Forest, near Lake City, FL 72 degrees

Finally, I have something to blog about. I have been at this campsite about 1 1/2 weeks and am loving it. A quiet, secluded spot in the National Forest with sun, available water and flush toilet. There are about 8 rigs here in the group I met up with. These folks have welcomed me with open arms. Really, a hug for anyone who joins made me feel right at home. The Escapees Boondocker BOF group follow the rendezvous' Trail for free primitive camping, moving to a new spot about every 2 weeks. The week started out slowly with happy hour (or 2) daily @ 4 pm where we just sit in the shade or sun and chat. I have been learning lots of tricks and information from some of the long time members who are so willing to share their knowledge. Starting with places they've been and recommend, tips for handling RV stuff - like where to dump tanks, get propane filled, best prices on fuel, where to camp for free, and experiences they've had. Some have been good experiences but, also, the bad ones just make us realize, we can and will - all make mistakes. They share them so hopefully we learn from these mistakes so we don't make the same ones. Campfires nightly are a nice, relaxing end to a perfect day. Check out the pine pollen on my car. Thankfully, my allergies have not been acting up (fingers crossed).

After 2 1/2 days of rain last week, it's finally starting to dry out here. We have had days in the 70's and nights in the low 50's. So far, I have not needed to put heat on. Though on the colder nights, I did sleep in my sweats and with an extra blanket. During the day, I have been working on my tan sitting in the sun, reading on my IPad but wearing sunscreen and a hat so I have plenty of protection. Can't ask for a more relaxed day than that.

We enjoyed 2 days at the local flea market at the Fairgrounds in Lake City and 2 really good lunches out at Sonny's BBQ (pulled pork) and Cedar Creek Seafood (fried oysters and sea scallops and very good hush puppies) The food in both places was wonderful and the service outstanding. Neither place had a problem giving individual checks for us solo gals and we had really fast service at lunchtime for a group of 9-11 people.

Yesterday I had a new experience - group breakfast was eggs in a bag. For those who never did it, you can google it but it's just eggs and the omelet fixings of your choice (which everyone contributes to) in a plastic baggie, the press seal (not the zip lock) kind, squished together to mix and put in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes until no longer runny. Top w/ shredded cheese when you take out of bag. Served with sides of potatoes & onions, sausage, fruit, apple cake, biscuits and gravy and
assorted condiments. It was new, different, very good and a nice change of pace. This seems to be a thing the group does at least once every 2 weeks or so. Check out the pictures of our group.

I got this new bracelet at the flea market. One of the gals and her husband that are camping here have had them for over a year. She says, at one point, she had such a problem with her arm, she couldn't raise it to comb her hair. This bracelet has changed that and she can do it now. If it helps with my shoulder and ankle pain and flareups, I'll be happy. It is an embedded wearable flex bracelet that is designed to stabilize and harmonize your body's bioelectric current.  It is made from the same type of silicone as the bracelets you see for cancer awareness and such. It is supposed to help with balance, strength and flexibility and impact your body's overall state of health.  They are available at
www.EFXUSA.com. Take a look at it.

That's all for now. To my fellow RV friends and bloggers, stay safe and happy trails. To friends and family in PA, much love and I hope this new storm I'm hearing about that is coming up the coast, misses you all.