Wednesday - 6 Apr/16

I was up and out at 7:30 a.m. this morning for my appointment at The Car Doctor in Eustis, FL. Billy (Fowler), the owner, started working on the Del Sol at 8 a.m. and was finished an hour and a half later.

The Del Sol now has a set of strut braces installed which should help the torsional rigidity. One brace (the chrome bar) was attached under the hood connecting the strut towers.

Another was attached in the trunk connecting the rear strut towers. This will somewhat limit the size of the single large packages that can be placed in the trunk. The number of small packages (grocery bags, etc.) that can be stored is not significantly changed.

There were also two strut connections made underneath (not shown) on the suspension. Completion of the strut attachments, the need to road test the improvements and the nice weather again today meant - you guessed it - Road Trip!

The first stop today was a return trip to the Key West Lime Shoppe (Factory Outlet) in Deland, FL. We needed to restock our supply of treats from the shop. We especially like the Key Lime peanuts which are sooo salty (and limey, too).

Our next destination was Accent on Quilting in Orange City, FL. Deland and Orange City, over the years, enlarged enough to form a seamless continuum from one city to the other. I just headed down Woodward Avenue ( about a block from the Key Lime Shoppe) and several miles later arrived at the quilt shop. Charlotte was "in Heaven"! Being at a good quilt shop is her equivalent of a guy on the loose in Harbor Freight or Home Depot. This store is large for a specialty quilt store and has a very nice selection of material and quilting notions. It took an hour for Charlotte to find several fabrics and items that should keep her busy for at least a few days (grin).

Again the lovely weather required we keep the top off the Del Sol and take the long way back to the motorhome. I decided to return via Mt. Dora, FL and surprise Charlotte with supper at PizzAmore. We hadn't been for a pizza there since they moved to a larger location. I remembered their new location was on East Fifth Avenue so I drove until I spotted the sign.

We sat on the front porch which was soon packed shortly after our arrival. If you want "cardboard w/toppings" go to a chain - if you want a unique pizza with plenty of flavour - come here.

we ordered a Spinach Fresca: mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, roasted onions, garlic, topped with fresh spinach, feta, extra virgin olive oil & balsamic reduction to which we added Bacon, Green (whole) Olives and Anchovies. A Total Taste Treat! It was more filling than we thought - we boxed half "To Go" so we can have a repeat treat tomorrow.

A quick stop at Publix for a few items and we still made it back to the motorhome in time for Jeopardy!

It took me less than an hour to finish up on the "Golden Gate Bridge" jigsaw. Only a small portion of the sky remained to be completed. I felt it was my duty to do this so the puzzle could be cleared off the table. Charlotte might want to set up the sewing machine tomorrow, if required. (I think that's "...a given" - grin).

I hate to say it; but Charlotte and I are "Splitting Up"! (technically anyway - grin) She doesn't like watching Criminal Minds so she will tune in to different programs on the TV in the bedroom while I watch Criminal Minds/Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders in the living room while I complete the blog.

That will about do it for today.