OVERSEAS HIGHWAY TO MARATHON KEY

On a crystal clear day with ideal temperatures we drove South to the Florida Keys - we had only a few hoours to explore and we had not been to the keys since the 1970's. It became clear very soon that much development had happened in these 40 years.

For one thing, the area devastated by hurricane Andrew in the early 90's was again a sea of one story single family homes.

Finally after passing Key Largo we entered the actual overseas highway linking a series of small keys. Above we are leaving one of the keys and are driving over emerald green waters.

Here in Marathon key we stop at a small neighborhood park in a non-gated community. The water lapping the coral reef boulders is clear and warm.

MIAMI IN NOVEMBER

This has been our spot at the LP Thompson Dade County RV Park for the past several years. We have switched our internet from satellite to cell, so we are no longer dependent on getting a spot with a clear South-West view to the sky like in this site. This is a nice wide site - very peaceful.

Usually at this time of the year we have so many avocados dropping from the trees in this old University of Miami experimental fruit tree farm that we eat guacamole spread every day.,. This winter there are few avocado fruit on the trees. Above is a good one.

SNOW ON THE WAY FROM TC TO NJ

We left Traverse Bay early in October, but as we were traveling on I80 east near State College Pennsylvania we were caught in their earliest snow fall on record. I80 remained clear but as you can see the trees still had some fall foliage and were sagging with the weight from fresh wet snow.

That evening we called ahead to our planned overnight campground off-I80 and they warned not to come there - they already had more than 3 inches on the ground and they were in hilly narrow roads we may not be able to manage with our long and heavy rig.

We instead stopped overnight at a Flying J off I80 and the next morning we awoke to 3 new inches of wet snow on our rig. I had to climb on the roof with a broom to remove all that snow from the slide-toppers.

FALL COLOR IN NORTHERN MICHIGAN

Only October and winter weather is making an appearance. Here I am along the North end of the north loop of Traverse Bay RV Resort. The fall color is a little late this year.

A stormy sky to the North with a sunny sky from the West (an usual occurrence here) This is our site with our maple showing its magnificent autumn red flaming colors.

At one of the ponds near our site there is a perfectly shaped apple tree filled with perfect bright red apples.

One of the forest areas in the RV park that is beginning to put on a show of colors. Below a few more of those outstanding maple trees. Many folks have already left and are heading south for the winter.

NATIONAL LAKE SHORE WITH DAVE AND MARYLYN

We found out that our friends and neighbor Dave and Marilyn had not visited the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lake shore, so we are out today to show them this beautiful part of Michigan.

The quaint town of Glenn Arbor is the gateway to the National Lake shore.

As we arrive in town we first head for the shore and a unique perfumed soap factory on the way. There we found someone riding a small, shaggy Icelandic pony. You can see the pony wading near the beach above.

Here we are in downtown. There was a local art gallery with magnificent acrylic paintings by a local artist. That was enjoyable.

A view of the blue, blue waters of Lake Michigan from the beach at Glen Arbor. The water was smooth enough for kayakers to venture far from shore.

A school group visiting the inland side of the dunes. The climb does not look as steep and difficult as it really is. From the top, you can have a beautiful view of farms, lakes, and forests, and turnaround and have a spectacular view of Lake Michigan.

Below at another section of the National Lake Shore park is a boardwalk that leads gently up to this platform where a panoramic view of Lake Michigan, along with some islands can be seen.

NMC'S GREAT LAKES CAMPUS

This attractive modern building houses the Great Lakes Culinary Institute and the Great Lakes Maritime Academy; both part of the Northwestern Michigan College.

Inside the lobby is this beautiful wooden boat, out the windows of the lobby, is the the ship used for training at the Maritime Institute. Both the lobby and the Culinary Institute, which is on the second floor, have magnificent views of East Traverse Bay from their floor to ceiling windows.

Almost always, a beautiful sailing boat can be seen on these waters.

CULINARY INSTITUTE

I am standing in front of the entrance to the Culinary Institute. To the right is the teaching school and to the left is the teaching restaurant. The students preparing and serving our lunch today are in their last year of training. The Senior class runs the teaching restaurant on Tuesday through Thursday each week of the Fall and Spring semesters.

This is the pastry case where, each day they are open, a different array of pastries are available at very low prices.

A view of the final prep area and the dining room. Each chef in training must work at all the jobs a restaurant has. They do greeting work, setting up tables and busing the tables, they are waiters and also tend the bar. The meals are delicious and are artistically presented.

There are tables for two around the bar that can be had without reservations. The first time we came for lunch we sat at one of those tables for two by the windows. Our waitress that day did a wonderful job for us; however, in the course of our meal, while she tended bar, we must have heard the crash of glasses at least a half dozen times. Apparently, her bar tending skills were not her strongest talent.

LUNCH AT LOBDELL'S TEACHING REATAURANT

This is a corner table near where we sat. Another time we were having lunch here, a seaplane landed right on the Bay in the area out the window. In the distance is the Mission Peninsula famous for their cherry orchards and their vineyards and wineries.

This view of our table just behind the table in the picture above shows the dining room and the food prep area. Walter has a hot pressed pastrami sandwich with a cabbage salad in a pastry shell. I had Penne in a Vodka tomato sauce with grilled chicken. We shared our meals which were very very good.

Another view of the dining area. It is almost impossible to get a place in the dining room without having a reservation. The meals are like those found in high end restaurants but at very reasonable prices.

The master chef getting our selection of pastries to take home.

Who Needs Big Government?

It is interesting to think about what this country would be like without "big" government. Take a look at www.governmentisgood.com for a good compilation of the value we get for our taxes.

TRAVERSE CITY FILM FEST

The State Theater in Traverse City, featuring one of the great films we saw - Entre Nos (Between us), from a budding new film director, producer, and actress who immigrated from Colombia with her family when she was very young.

This year's Traverse City Film Festival had screenings of 71 features and 50 short films from more than 30 countries and five continents. Over 65 percent of the shows were sell-outs. The six-day festival ran from July 28 through Aug. 2 and included five sessions of a new film school, five daily panel discussions and four parties.

This popular annual event was founded by Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore in 2004. This is its fifth anniversary year, and had record-setting admissions. They also had record turnouts for free nightly films on the waterfront.

We joined as Friends of the Festival and had a week's lead over the general public to buy tickets, but even so the demand among the Friends for some features was such that we just managed to get tickets for three of the four we wanted to see.

We enjoyed the whole experience so much that it will become an annual event for us.

This is a dim light shot inside the State Theater. It is a beautifully renovated old time theater. The renovations were led by Michael Moore and a large group of volunteers.

Michael left New York a number of years ago to return to his native Michigan, and chose to make the Traverse City area his new home. Since then he has done a lot to boost the area's economy.

One of the best parts of participating in the features was the appearance of the producers, actors, and even participants in the films. We were lucky to be in the audience at two of the films where Michael Moore himself spoke to the audience.

In the picture above we have the leading actress (and also the lead producer) in the film Entre Nos at the left, her mother at the center - and the subject of the film, and the Colombian co-producer at the right. The public was able to ask questions of them.

The film was riveting and beautifully acted - a true life story of newly arrived immigrant Colombian family with two young children where the father essentially abandons the mother to fend for herself without her even able to speak English.

We also had a chance to see Roger and Me - the breakthrough documentary by Michael Moore which set him on his way, and a film named for the main protagonist - Rachel, an idealistic young American woman from Seattle who joined an International peace organization that attempts to - offer protection and support with their physical presence to Palestinians in occupied Palestine.

PREVOST - LUXURY INSIDE

An inside look of this luxury RV Motor Coach. Leather seats, marble floors, heated floors sculptured lighted ceilings and so much more.


Notice the ubiquitous touch screen to inform the occupants of the status of all systems in the coach and to provide touch control of every system. The coach has Internet Wi-Fi all around the coach even while on the road.

The kitchen area below has a drawer microwave oven, pantries, dishwasher, and on and on.

This kitchen is basically to warm-up snacks. If you can afford one of this you can afford to eat out at every meal.

Above is a table for two and place for computer and large screen television--one of three TVs. The main TV is a huge flat screen that folds down in front of the windshield.

This is one of the fanciest bathroom washbowls I have ever seen. Even the commode seat is heated and incorporates electronic fingertip selection of bidet function, gentle warm air blow dryer, etc.

The bedroom with mirror ceiling, many many storage areas and king size bed. By the side table there is a monitor to view anyone around the RV and an intercom to speak with anyone who may be at the door.

PREVOSTS FOR SALE AT TBRVR

This RV park has the largest percentage of Prevosts RV coaches of any RV park we have seen. Many of them have either Florida or Montana license plates (in MT you can establish an LLC and duck heavy vehicle taxes and annual license fees of many other states). Florida has fairly low fees and taxes.

Once a year our RV park hosts the Prevost Milleniums to show their latest luxury coaches. Last year's show was a success for them, with one sold on the spot for $1.25 million and an order for a second. They always serve us hamburgers and sausages with a dessert as an attraction.
This $1.5 M Prevost Millenium has a 600 HP Detroit Diesel engine tucked neatly in the rear. Notice two of the three slide outs. The front slide out is for the desk-dinning bar pictured elsewhere, and the rear is for the king-size bed. The electric awning on the left side is only partially extended.

The basic frame of this coach is built in Quebec, Canada. All city buses in Quebec are Prevosts. Millenium adds all slide outs and other details that make it a super-luxury motor home.

Two full-size bikes fit upright in the front pass-through cargo compartment.

The cockpit is appointed with marble floors inlaid with different colors of marble, plush leather seat, an instrument panel touch screen to control all functions in the house and engine as well as moving-map GPS.

This is one of the simple toys that can be had for a mere pittance by the upper management at any of the larger investment banks in this country.