Mississippi Back woods

Pretty little lake

Monday was spent on the internet, looking at things trying to decide what I wanted to do, where to go, all that kind of thing and a bit of the annoying pay bills, get annoyed by Verizon again, fix my internet on the go box (working again, unfortunately Mississippi has almost no coverage unless I’m within about ten feet of a major freeway).  I had made no decision by the time Starbucks closed so I meandered down to the nearest rest area.  Tuesday morning I got up and looked at the information available to me and a decision was had.  The light bulb flashed on again and I decided to go spend some time in the woods with myself, finish a couple unfinished projects and just relax.  There was a free campground (small, but with running water) not too far and some cheap ones not far from there (one even had a shower).  I decided to stock up on some supplies and headed to the free one first.  There were only a couple other people at it and it is a pretty little place next to a lake (fisherman, mostly safe, don’t need to worry as much about hunters), so I found myself a flat spot to park and I was set up (have I mentioned how great it is to have set up be so easy.) Then WAR PLAGUE hit.  Every war has one, it goes around, people go home sick and this war was no different but this war plague was worse than most.  I thought I had gotten clear but no, just when I thought I was safe, boom.  It was all I could do to crawl into bed and sleep.  I slept for the next 28 hours, only waking long enough to drag myself to the restroom, make sure I still had water and go back to sleep.  I was definitely running a fever.   Wednesday afternoon I awoke to feeling slightly better and my temperature had gone back to normal and I wanted a shower.  So I decided to go try the campground nearby with a shower.  Everything about the place creeped me out, from the completely deserted campground to the controlled burn happening just across the main road (at the only road in or out).  Reading the signage it appeared no fee for day use, so I took a shower and got out of there again.  I went back to my cute little lake that was free.  Wednesday night had me running a temperature again so I went to bed early.

By Thursday I was mentally ready to be up and about but my body laughed at me.  So I sat by the lake and read a book.  It was quiet, the only invasion being by the ducks.  But I relaxed and basically now only felt like I had a really bad head cold.  Thursday night I slept ok, but my body was really not happy with the distinct lack of movement that I had had since leaving war, and my internal thermometer could not decide what it wanted to be at.  Friday, I awoke a bit after the sun, and really wanting a shower again, but I was not going to go back to the creepy campground, so I had a wonderful COLD sponge bath in the bathroom sink (there was a drain in the floor)  and even succeeded in washing my hair in a sink that is smaller than most.  Once I was feeling like one of the living again, I did go into town to get a few more supplies (really for ice), and then returned to the lake to read a book.  I had heard a rumor that on weekends the camp gets inundated with boy scouts, and it is true.  My little flat spot at the top of the hill is fairly far from them so I can just sit back and watch and laugh.  If there is anyone that can rival us SCAdians with shear amount of stuff being brought to a weekend event than it is the boy scouts.  If my left over war plague (now just a head cold) didn’t make me so short of breath I probably would have fallen out of my chair giggling as they unloaded the trailer.  Less than a dozen people most of them half sized, and yet 8 large tents, 2 large day shades, 3 large things of propane, 4 extra tables and all your usually accruements including fishing poles and a boat (the lake, if I can call it that, is small, it took me 15 minutes to walk around only because I was going slowly because dude sick), and then the flag, yes they too brought a flag this one being a US flag but it made me want to pull mine out and put it back up.  I didn't but mostly because I didn't have the energy.  Then a family showed up, who believes that to use the car powered air mattress pump you need to get the car next to the tent, and not that you take the mattress to the car fill it up and then take it back.  I’m too much a people watcher. Another group of adult boys showed up Saturday morning, and since they camped much nearer to me I could listen to them make fun of the boy scout group all day.  I spent it wondering and how are you guys any better.  Saturday also had a couple backpackers head down the trail and some just day hikers.  A car of Californians that give us such a bad name also came in; they had dreadlocks even, asking people for food as soon as they arrived.  Only about half the normal weekday fisherman stopped by.

Cute man made lake in the woods, with ducks

If I knew what was next for me, I would have vacated myself on Saturday.  But I didn’t have the energy for it (the vacating is easy, the where to go instead not so).  Really all I had the energy for was reading my book (I finished all the light pleasure reading I brought with me and I don’t have my sister’s library to read, whatever should I do?)  My symptoms are down to nose cold, annoying but my box of Kleenex and I have become frienemies.  Plus I came out to the woods to enjoy some alone time and hopefully learn to smock.  The first has definitely happened but the second is still in the just theory state, maybe Sunday?  It’s not like I have to go to church.

Sunday I awoke to a sprinkle, and most the other campers trying to vacate quickly, So I opened up the back and started making coffee under the overhang.  Over hang is not water tight when the rain turned into a downpour, but coffee was had and everything put back in before the lightning started, I enjoyed it inside and stayed mostly dry.  Only lasted maybe 30 minutes and then it was gone as quick as it had come.  I dried off the little bit of wet, did dishes and started learning to smock.  I am currently taking a break from the smocking to go into town and buy a few supplies (bread and ice, always the freaking ice, I need to figure out a better way of having a fridge).  Anyway, I'm feeling better and am now looking forward to some more quiet time in the woods.

Gulf Wars

Sunrise, Sunday morning, heading to war.

I have found a flag pole

War was awesome.   Arrival on Sunday went without a problem, and I found the non-hook-up RV area.  I parked myself on what I thought was the side, only to find that it wasn’t.  I was also the only one actually camping out there and where I was ended up became a parking lot, not as nice as I would have liked.  Still, I had a wonderful time.  Gulf wars has a permanent site and some actual permanent buildings, which I find very cool.  And so many classes, I took 2 or 3 each day.  It is interesting to see how other people have interpreted the same information.  It is always fun to take two similar classes from two different people and get conflicting information.  I took many costuming classes, including one on Central Asian coats that explained the weird armpit gusset and exactly how it is supposed to fit, now if I can find some fabric I might have to make one (or I’ll just make a mockup in the plaid I have with me and then start with the under layer in the white linen. At this rate I’m going to come home with more garb than I left.  I think I’m ok with this.)  I need to work on my Italian dress and fix some issues it is having after I wore it 3 days of war (new chemise is perfect).  Walked all over the place, and as normal with war a lot of people got sick, and I was not one of them. 

My encampment, trees do not make good tripods

Unfortunately the threatening thunderstorms Saturday night scared everyone away, and I was slightly concerned about being stuck in the mud, so I also vacated, helped transport a whole lot of gear to a friend that lives nearby and then Sunday went on a mini New Orleans adventure (in someone else’s car), dropped one friend off at airport, then went into the French quarter for food (yummy, but my skin will hate me this week), and then dropped the other off at the airport before heading back to Mississippi.  We stopped at site for the last of the gear, and now I get to figure out what I want to do now. 

I went to an awesome class that helped me make pretty hair.

Still not sure what I want to do but kind of at the point where I must figure it out.  First is figure out the internet issues I have been having.

Then I don’t know, but I'm going to figure it out right now.

Last of Florida, Wandering toward Gulf Wars

Thursday had me awake around dawn because that is when all the truckers are leaving the rest area.  So I was up and going also, and heading north with the threat of rain to come.  As mentioned before, truck butt cover totally water tight, truck bed is not so water tight.  Rain means find a place to hole up and not be driving, so time to get some things done.  First that Oil change, hey look there is a ford place, stop and get oil changed, maybe a hour spent not driving in the rain, but the free wifi does tell me that not far uo the road is a denny's and those usually have free wifi. So once the truck was done (and they made sure to tell me that I will need new tires soon because mine are at the just enough that they are still ok, but any less and they would be trying to get me to buy new tires right now.) I went a mile down the road and spent some time relaxing in the old familar but slightly different Denny's using their electricity, wifi and updating this blog.  It was nice to just avoid the rain and sit and relax.  I had nowhere to be and no time frame to be there in.  I waited out the worst of the rain, used the internet to find a nice looking campground a few hours north in the National Forest, this one having a shower (dude, I wanted a shower after the stickyness that was southern Florida, and I hadn't had one since Sunday and had been doing a lot of hiking/other exercise.)  So the rain was not looking like it would actually stop anytime soon but the worst was over, so I put a towel in the worst culprit for leaks and went off toward the north.  I had a wonderful drive long not the interstate.

Making the turn toward the campground, I discovered the problem with flat states, dirt roads and rain.  The first stream crossing wasn't bad and I went for it, the second was a little deeper and I went for it, the third was deeper still and I didn't go for it.  I didn't want a shower that bad.  So I turned around and headed back toward the main road.  I then headed toward the interstate because interstates have rest areas and my app told me there was one only a couple miles down from where I would hit the interstate.  Unfortunately that meant no shower for me.  I gave myself a moist towelette bath and called it a night.  Even though along the way I had suddenly gained an hour by entering the central time zone.  I was tired and it wasn't even 8pm and I was in bed and asleep very quickly.

Friday had me up with the sun (6am local time).  There were a couple state parks very near me that could be interesting, but those don't open until 8am, so what to do with an hour or two? Answer: Laundry.  Nearest laundromat is about ten minutes from the first of the state parks, so off I went.  Got there about fifteen minutes before they opened, which was just enough time to gather up all the dirty clothes and strip the sheets off my bed (woo hoo clean sheets).  Laundry went well and took just over an hour, I got lots done of my German chemise.  Then I went off to Florida Caverns State Park.

Look me in a cave.

Swamp of northern Florida

Spelunking is fun.  Unfortunately this was a developed for tourist cave.  In that otherwise no one can actually see it as the average height was only a couple of feet before they took out a bunch of limestone to make it walkable.  This is one of the first times where I went spelunking and the temperature inside the cave was considerable more than outside.  It was a cold day for Florida.  After my cave tour I did some walking around outside, which with the rain from the day before was just a bit damp.  And very pretty.  I got some really muddy feet and wasn't wearing the right shoes, so my I want a shower desire started up again.  It was still before noon when I had walked as much of the park as I wanted to, and gone on my cave tour, so off I went to the next state park.

Learning how to use the camera to take selfies the right way.

The next park was only a few miles down the interstate, so off I went.  Looking at the map it looked really easy, so off I went toward the interstate.  The road I picked took me to the interstate, and then up and over it, without any way to get on to the interstate.  I ended up on some back roads and eventually made it to Falling Waters State Park.  There might have been a couple dirt roads involved; these did not have streams crossing them, just many mud puddles.  Came to the park with the truck a little dirtier than if I had used the interstate and it took me at least twice as long, but I had fun.

This state park has a campground, so I got a campsite (Tent only was all that was available, but I was told this is because of the size of the parking space, and as I am a normal sized vehicle, I had no problem.)  I parked myself in my campsite, and went off to see the waterfall.  I would post a picture except that my camera had not turned off properly at the last stop and had eaten all the battery life, so no pictures for me.  This is one of the coolest waterfalls as the water is actually at ground level and then falls into a sink hole.  It is also Florida's tallest waterfall at 73 feet.  (Did I mention this state is flat?  In case you forgot, Florida is flat.)  The walk took maybe an hour and by the time I had gotten back to the campground I had exhausted the trails of the park.  Therefore shower time.  A now cleaner Vivian was able to put clean clothing on a clean body.  I then took some free afternoon light time to actually put my laundry away from the morning, make my bed and in general just clean my room.  I also put duct tape over any of the holes that were letting in light.  Realized that I need more foam between the door and truck bed at the bottom of the back of the truck, maybe that would help the water issue.  Noticed that the campsite had electricity, and it worked so I charged up my electric devices. I wanted another chemise for my Italian, so I cut one out, since I really didn't want to learn smocking yet.  Decided I didn't have time to actually sew it before the sunset, and went to bed because it was cold and dark and I had had a very productive day.

I can sew and appreciate nature at the same time.

I was up after sunrise, not much after but enough that I could tell it was going to be a beautiful day.  Out came the sewing machine, and a chemise was sewn.  I did all the machine work, and then packed it back up.  Decided to wait on the hand work and headed west.  Left the park around 11am and was on my way to war.  Florida took a couple hours to get through, Alabama was only about an hour, and now I have made it to Mississippi.  I haven't bothered switching myself to central time as I discovered it is time change weekend so I would just have to change all my clocks back tomorrow. War opens early tomorrow morning, and it looks like I'm going to be rest area sleeping again tonight, as at this point I'm only about an hour out and have had really good luck so far with rest areas.  None of them have felt unsafe and they let me sleep as much as I want.  I am appreciating the cooler temperatures up here.  I don't sleep well when the nightly low is above 65 degrees, I like snuggling into the covers.

War here I come.  I still need to do some sewing, as I tore one of the straps of my Italian and didn't realize it until trying to make it a new chemise this morning.  I also have some finishing work on said chemise and there is also the smocking on my German chemise.  I realize I only had one decent chemise back when I packed for this road trip and I am so glad I thought to just throw in the roll of light weight linen.  Soon there will be three chemises.

I'm going to try to be out of touch until after war next Sunday, so no worrying about me.

Florida Keys

Tiny rainbow

Wednesday morning started out before first light, this going to bed because it is dark and I don't want to waste my batteries means I'm up really early (just after 5am on this morning) and me worrying about if I let myself get to low on gas driving around the park, my biggest worry as I head out is will I make it to the gas station without having to call AAA?  Yes I did.  And I'm not sure how much further I could have gone but I wasn't yet coasting in on fumes which is good.  Filled up the tank and on my way south, Florida keys here I come.  First bridge and my low tire light comes on, so first gas station I pull off, can not tell which tire it is so I add air to all of them (which reminds me I haven't gotten a oil change since before leaving California and it's due, I should do that latter this week.)  Whatever I did made the light go out and stay out so I'm happy.  Continue down, watched an unimpressive sunrise over the ocean.  Then it decided to sprinkle a bit and I saw a little chunk of a rainbow.

Pretty islands

Where does the land end?

The keys are not just a string of islands like it looks on the maps of Florida, those are just the largest.  There are actually many islands between the main land and the string.  And florida/gulf of mexico here is so flat that one could basically walk from the keys to the mainland.  You would get wet but the water is not all that deep.  Which brings me to the question of where does the land end and the water begin.  Most of southern Florida is marshland in that it is covered by a couple feet of water, and most of the gulf here is shallow in that it is flat and less than 6 feet deep, then there are the plants that grow in a couple feet of water, like the mangroves.  So some of the islands of plants that look like islands don't actually have any ground above water so is it land or not?  Wow Florida is flat and the gulf of mexico is flat and just a foot can mean a very different habitat and different plants that can grow there.

This extra toed cat let me pet him for a long bit.

The drive from the mainland is 100ish miles along the keys, this is 100 miles of tourist town, you have the little shops trying to sell you anything and everything under the sun.  Because this is kind of close to the Caribbean there are some that throw in the pirate theme, but for the most part it reminds me of Santa Barbara except that there is less Spanish influence and more southern feel to the architecture, no red tile roofs here but we do have wrap around porches and fans.  I made it to mile 0 of highway 1 in Key West.  Found myself some parking and went to the Hemingway Home and Museum.  It was interesting to learn more and I got to pet many cats, some of them even had extra toes.  I had been feeling a bit cat deprived so I sat and petted as many of the cats that would let me until I felt less kitty deprived.  I walked along Duval street. I had a piece of real Key lime pie for lunch, it was good.  And had had enough of the tourist town, I mean really if I wanted fabulous beach tourist town I would have stayed home.  And with the humidity (everyone claims it was nothing, but more than I'm use to) and the eighty degree temperature I was hot and sticky and ready to head back to cooler weather.  So I was on the road heading north again around noon.  Stopped along the drive back to the mainland and tried to see some key deer but they were not out, but had a nice walk anyway and saw some turtles at the watering hole.  The ranger claimed that the watering hole was both salt water and fresh water with the fresh water sitting on top of the salt water and that they didn't mix so the bottom of the lake had salt water fish and the top had fresh water fish, I need to do some research but I don't quite believe that is possible.  On my way out, I got stopped by the drawbridge and then I continued out of the keys.

Look I'm at the front of the drawbridge line.

 Once out of the keys I was going to stop for the night at a hostel the internet had told me about (I wanted a shower) but the place looked really bad, so I decided not to go there.  I had a back up plan of going to one of the free campgrounds in the Water management district (there are bunches of them) but when I got there I found it was closed for general camping for hunting season (bad internet, no cookie) so I found a very nice rest area somewhere outside Orlando and called it a night.

Everglades

Sunday, I drove straight down the center of Florida and made it to the Everglades National Park.  GPS took me on the scenic route, including one dirt road (only a couple of blocks worth).  What is there to say about the drive Florida is FLAT and wet, there is water everywhere so he plants are lush.  I arrived at the campground after dark and went to sleep early.

Monday, Sunrise, Long Pine key Campground, Everglades

Me dressed for a bike ride, Everglades behind me 

Monday morning after enjoying a beautiful sunrise, yes I turn in to a morning person when camping, I went on the ranger led bike hike, yes I got on a bike again and realized after I was on it that the last time I was on a bike was when I broke my arm in Berkeley.  I do enjoy bike ridding on flat surfaces, and the everglades are flat.  Just a foot difference in elevation can mean the difference between habitats and if it is a wet marshland or a dry forest ground.  I took another ranger led hike in the afternoon, this time I saw some alligators.

Alligator, posing for the camera

Look, alligator in the water

Wetlands.

Sunset, Campground again

I also did a bunch of trails on my own just walking.  So many signs to read and so much cool information.  I learned a lot about the everglades and just took in some nature.  Drove all the way down to the gulf and saw some keys off the coast, considered for a bit the question of where does the land end and the ocean begin (more on that one later).  Went to the ranger led campfire program, got eaten alive by the mosquitoes and went to bed early.

Look Keys off the coast.

Tuesday I got up really early and drove through the mist down the road, to go enjoy Nine mile pond.  It is not a nine mile long pond it is just named that because of how far it is to some point that no longer exists, and the name stuck, it is just a little pond.

Tuesday, before sunrise, Nine mile pond

Tuesday Sunrise, Nine mile pond

Look I got to Kayak the pond.

I then got to go on the ranger led Canoe hike, which was a blast, I got to kayak because I didn't have a buddy to canoe with (besides I would want to be at the back of the canoe and that would not have been good with all the extra guys needing to be manly out there.)  Had fun paddling through the mangrove bushes and I was the fastest one out there.  Also the only one that got wet, no I didn't fall in, it is just hard to stay dry when in a kayak. I had a blast and enjoyed the nature, and was the only one who wasn't sore at the end, which surprised me.  I have been one of the youngest people at most all of the ranger led programs, except for one of the rangers, and the rest are at retirement age.   After kayaking, I did another little walk and saw a turtle, than just sat and relaxed and sewed before going on the ranger led starlight walk where we got to see all the 'gator eyes, just like in the cartoons where they shine back at you.  It was so cool, still went to bed early because I had done lots and was really tired.  You know that if you get up early and do lots during the day, it turns into a really long day unless you go to bed early too.  I don't feel like my usually nightowl, what getting up at 6am and going to sleep before 10pm.  I did enjoy all the pretty nature and exercise and am feeling much better than I have in a really long time.

Turtle and fishes

Just go south

So the sca event only had maybe a dozen people stay overnight, it was really a designed as a day trip event.  When I left this morning I very quickly made a wrong turn (the nearest city was not the way I went) and I didn't realize it for a bit so I have been doing the just go south plan for a couple hours.  I finally needed to not be driving so I am taking a break and figuring out where am I going tonight?

SCA event was fun, I enjoy the let's make fun of ourselves a bit type of court.  And I'm leaving the event with more food than I arrived, which I always appreciate.  Mead is still a delicious and evil nectar.  I finished the second sleeve of the chemise and have started on the body.

Look at the pretty river, that was flowing past the SCA event.

So I have decided, Everglades National park tonight, all day tomorrow and then the keys Tuesday or Wednesday.  I hear there are gators, but have yet to see one.  I also hear there are bears and they don't hibernate, haven't seen one of those yet either.  Anyway, I'm off, and probably out of touch for a few days.

Last week on farm

Monday after a long day doing farm work including sewing a curtain for the bathroom, I got all my laundry done.  I finally put all my winter blankets away and cleaned out everything in my truck and reorganized, realized yes I do need a shelf/bracer under my table and dried out all the places that had small issues with water (truck bed is not water tight when doing 60 miles an hour in a downpour. Note to self: stop driving when raining hard, or at least add some towels in key places.)

Tuesday after pouring honey basically all day, I went to home depot got the materials needed to add the shelf/bracer, put in said shelf/bracer (just slightly tighter than I was going for, took some pounding to get it in), made and ordered business cards for my wandering costumer alter ego, and went to the store to get some food so that I don't feel quite as beat up at the end of the week.

Wednesday, rain, rain and cold continuous rain.  Started making new chemise for german dress, being silly and doing it entirely by hand, oh those curtains were .  There will also be smocking, at both the cuffs and collar.

Thursday, dry but cold, normal day of pick and wash vegetables.  Worked on chemise (first sleeve is sewn, finished all edges and seams, and is ready to be attached to body) and picked up business cards.  I'm not really a business but I think I might do better at getting a sewing gig if I actually have business cards.

Friday, last day at farm, a very short day, am leaving and going to another SCA event and then to see the Florida keys.  Florida is very flat.

Having a lot of fun at this sca event, everyone down here in Trimaris is super nice and it is one of the few places where I've had lots and lots of just random people say hey I don't know you, who are you?  Still trying to figure out heading down to the keys.  Continuing the work on german chemise.