Mon - 16 Jan/17

 

Today is another excellent day, weather wise, with temps hitting 80 F. A high pressure area  is keeping the Jet Stream flowing north of here. We are not getting the nasty weather that is almost everywhere north of us. It should remain 10 degrees above normal for the next week.  A modest breeze will keep it comfortable.

Today is MLK Day. Down here they celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with numerous events and parades (especially in the larger cities). It is an official holiday for many so we have no plans to be anywhere (in crowds) today. Government and educational facilities as well as most financial institutions are closed. Most not working in the above institutions will have a regular work day in store for them. For us, it will actually be a day of rest.

In Canada we have Loonies ($1.00 coin – since 1987) …and Toonies ($2.00 coin – since 1996). (We no longer use pennies either – we just round off – up or down)

 I think the Toonie should have been called a “Moonie” because it has an engraving of the Queen (on one side) with a “Bear” behind. (grin)

Here (USA) they still use paper $1.00 bills that have the picture of George Washington on the face. In our change we discovered a dollar bill that had “WheresGeorge.com” stamped on one end. Naturally, I checked it out.

This site registers the serial number of a U.S. Dollar Bill and tracks all registered reports. This specific bill was first registered in Texas. It since has travelled to Vancouver, BC (Canada), Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Orange City, FL and Daytona Beach, FL. This is probably where I got it (in change at the Daytona Beach Flea Market). It is now registered as being at Umatilla, FL (we are staying at Olde Mill Stream RV Resort) there.

To date, in 2 years, 109 days, 22 hours and 43 minutes , the bill we registered has travelled 2,662 miles (as the crow flies?). We will receive email updates whenever future registrations are made.

 After lunch Charlotte walked to the office to get tickets for the UVFD Spaghetti Supper. OMS sponsors this event as annual fundraiser for the local Umatilla Volunteer Fire Department. With our site situated on a main street with a good view of the entrance we have often seen their vehicles coming in on emergency calls to the park. Their lights are on; but they mute the sirens on entry so as not to alarm the residents.

Charlotte then sat outside for a bit – just to relax and enjoy the great weather.

Mid-afternoon we headed to The Lodge (Last Entrance) to get our pictures taken for the Park Directory. The directory will have the park and home addresses and phone numbers of those who volunteered to have their picture taken. Usually most folks go early to everything in the park so we decided to wait a bit to avoid standing in line for a long time. It was quick – in and out.

We then went for a ride to Publix with the top off. We parked in front of the store then walked over to order at the Burger King Drive-Thru (NOT) (another grin). Actually, this was the shortest distance to the entrance.

We each ordered the $3.99 Meal Deal that included a Jr. Whopper, 4 Chicken Tenders, Fries and a Drink. It was just our size being not too big. The Fast Food market down here is very competitive so "Deals" can be had at all the "Big Names".

Back at Publix Charlotte checked our Lottery tickets while I was deciding on what vitamins to buy. Hey! We won $10 which purchased another round plus 2 scratch tickets.  Then we were off shopping for a few needed items.

We had a craving for an “Old El Paso “ style meal. We picked up nachos, ground meat, sour cream, salsa, tomatoes, etc.  to make our version of the meal.

We enjoyed the short drive (5 miles) back to OMS, again with the top off.  

We quickly unloaded and put all away. I cooked all of the “Ground Chuck” which was then put into plastic containers. One stayed in the refrigerator to be used in tomorrow’s meal while the rest were put in the freezer.

The late lunch meant we were not too hungry. Supper was “Long John’s” which purchased at Publix (just in case – Yeh! Right). Long John’s are like a Chocolate Éclair with a custard filling instead of whipped cream. Not bad, at all!

 Tonight was once again a usual TV evening - starting with Jeopardy. That's it for another (not so busy) day.