Water water....everywhere......

The shuttle taking off out of Cape Canaveral.  I could see it from the balcony 100 miles away!!

Moon over Miami

Halle on the lookout

Gorgeous skyline in Miami

The view from our balcony in Miami

Being able to live on the water is a dream come true.  It is the absolute most relaxing thing we have done for ourselves. Something about just being close to the water and the waves and the smells and the wildlife makes us happier and healthier every day of our lives. We've seen so many beautiful things from our balcony on the 31st floor in Miami.  The very first day we were moving in we watched a shark circling in the water below us.  We've watched schools of dolphins playing as well as Manarays jumping.  On the week-ends we watch the big cruise ships take out on their journey to the Caribbean from their Ft. Lauderdale port. Watching the weather over the ocean is a real treat.  We see the big fronts come through and give us lightning shows better than any 4th of July celebration.  In Miami we have seen a total lunar eclipse and a full moon shining off the ocean that lights us up like its daytime. From our house at the Jersey shore we sit out and watch the sun set over the bay and toast the beauty.

Sunset from our dock at the Jersey shore

Sunset over Barnegat Bay

We have watched waterspouts, hurricanes, rainbows that look like you could reach out and touch and the most beautiful clouds you could ever imagine. I have to admit, one of the most breathtaking views I've had so far is watching a shuttle take off from Cape Canaveral.  It was unexpected and quite breathtaking. Stunning colors left from the gas burning off staying in the sky for a long time.  I can't imagine not having this in my life. Thank God.

Waterspout in Miami

I think I'm gonna keep my eyes open for a mermaid......Hey, anything is possible.....right??

Rainbow below us.

Disneyworld 2011!!

Disneyworld, 2011

Who says Disney is just for kids??  Mike and I decided to pack up the dogs and take Roams to camp in Disney's Fort Wilderness for a few days. The best laid plans.......We were on the entrance ramp to get on the interstate heading North to Orlando when.....Roamer just decided to lose all power. Not the best place for this to happen.  We waited for a tow truck for about an hour in the Miami heat...then got towed to a mechanics shop.  As soon as he unhooked us....it started right up. Go figure.  Thinking everything was fine and dandy after the engine cooled down, we took off again for our date with Mickey.  We got to West Palm when the exact same thing happened again.  Got towed in to a dealership for the second time in one day after waiting for a couple hours for the tow truck.  Our moods were pretty sunny by then. Ummm...ok, I'm lying a bit.  Guess what....Ford Dealership service is closed on Sundays. So....we camped out.  Nothing like camping in a dealership parking lot....in the hood, no less......in the pouring rain...with two dogs.  We kept saying to each other...How's your vacation so far sweetie?? Thank goodness, the lady in the dealership didn't tell us about all the drive-by shootings and gunshot holes in their cars until I talked to her the next morning about seeing a hooker being picked up right at their driveway.  Good news is....it was just some electronic module that was easy and fast to repair. We got on the road by about 10 that next morning and made it to Disney with no other delays.
     Camping in Ft. Wilderness was a lot of fun. We got a nice spot close to all the cool places.  Weather was beautiful all day but got pretty cold that first night.  We headed out to Epcot to look around and ride a ride and watch the fireworks.  We weren't dressed for the little cold spell and almost froze but it was a good time.  The next day we took of to go to Magic Kingdom.  We rode a boat across the lake to get there.  I loved seeing all the flowers and trees in full bloom.  Much different from the snowy New Jersey winter I left earlier. I love the feel of Disney because I've always loved things neat and taken care of.  There isn't a leaf out of place here.  I was actually looking for a big rock at the campground to hold something down.  After I looked around for a while, I came back and told Mike....what am I thinking?? It's Disney, there isn't an extra rock just laying around.  He said,"are you kidding? They are all numbered and in their right places."  We went over to Downtown Disney for some shopping and dinner.  It used to be called Pleasure Island a while back but they have added a whole shopping area and made it a lot more family oriented instead of the clubs and bars it used to have. Our last day was spent at Animal Kingdom. We rode a couple rides and saw lots of neat animals.  And yes, there were just as many strollers there to make me nuts. 

Roamer getting his first tow:(

Home sweet Roams

I've decided I am officially too old for Space Mountain now.  I used to enjoy it and ride it over and over. Now, it hurts my neck. Booooo...I hate to admit that.  Next...We will be wearing those silly looking bone colored walking shoes and fanny packs.....ummmmm no.

Daytona 500 2011

 Daytona 500....2011

What a blast last weekend was! We camped in the infield of the Daytona Racetrack Thursday-Monday. We were thinking that this would be a one time thing....but we just might have to do it again. We parked the Earth Roamer in amongst all the RVers that must do this for a living.  Some of the rigs these people had cost at the least...a million bucks. Of course, there were people from every socio economic level represented.  We would walk down to the area they called tent city...where it looked like the Clampets had moved in...and you wouldn't believe the contraptions these people would make up to see the race.  They built plywood platforms above their pick-ups and then have 30 people standing on them. Most of the people parked around us just watched the race from up on top of their rv's with tv's and chairs sitting up there.  Mike and I opted to go over and watch the beginning of the race and maybe the first 25 laps or so from The Fan zone up on top of the race car garages.  Then we came back to the Roamer and took a nap and watched it on tv then went back over to the finish line and watch the last 50 laps.
Im not a race girl but I certainly enjoyed all the people watching and activities and camping and music stuff.  We had nice neighbors on both sides of us who really want us to come back next year.  Might have to take them up on it.
Roams was awesome for our first official camp trip. Plenty of room for what we need it for.  Sleeping in it was awesome.  Nice and comfy for all of us. The dogs loved being out among all the people and everyone stopping by to pet them. Fun for all of us!

 

WE ARE HERE!!!!! HELLO MIAMI!!

We arrived at our home in Aventura, Florida today. Roamer was a wonderful home for a few days but its nice to unload and relax and enjoy some Florida sun.  Flowers and palm trees welcomed us instead of the three feet of snow we left in New Jersey.  We had a nice stop in Winston/Salem at my brother Tommy and sister-in law Maggies house. We are hoping they purchase an Airstream and join us on some of our adventures.  Wouldn't that be a hoot?? I can't wait to actually get outside and shake off the winter blues! ;)

As we were riding down the highway the second day, Mike said..."I sure wish we could find some breakfast somewhere besides a chain restaurant." Low and behold....we came upon The Pink Cadillac Diner.  It was so cool.  All Elvis, all the time.  Breakfast was yummy.  Waitress was nice.  Patrons were.....well, different.  We drove through the Shenandoah Valley. Even in the winter....beautiful.  I decided that IF and WHEN I ever decided to own a farm....this is where its going to be located. Absolutely breathtaking!

Ok.... We are off on our very first adventure! We are heading to Our home in Miami for the winter. We are packing up the dogs an our golf clubs and getting out of this horrendous winter in the northeast. Sunshine.... Here we come!!

The Cast of Characters

Halle...aka...Hal, Hallemonster, Halalujah

Nikki...aka...Nik, Nikkinaccanoodle

Papashea...aka Mike, Mikie, Pops, Papi
Mamashea...aka...Ranell, Nellie, Mom, Mama

Earth Roamer...aka...Roamer, Roams

Starting my blog for…”ON the Road with Mamashea and Papashea

January 5, 2011 - Posted by echochamp - 5 Comments

OK…this is all new to me.  Mike and I just got a new toy and our goal is to tour the US.  We plan on blogging about it and maybe sharing some of our travels and pictures and hopefully a little humor.  I’ve never done a blog so you’re going to have to …watch me learn.  We bought a new vehicle that is called an Earth Roamer.  After our trip to Park City for the Sundance Film Festival…Mike will fly to Denver to pick it up and drive it home.  We plan on packing it up and heading down to Miami for the winter.  We already have one trip planned to the Daytona 500.  We reserved our campsite right in the infield of the Raceway.  That should be pretty cool.  After the winter…who knows where we will head.  I know National Parks and all of the beautiful places in the U.S. that we have always heard about but never seen are definitely on our radar.  Who knows, we may be coming to a town near you. It would be great to meet up along the way as we travel.  Have dogs…will travel.  Anyway…I’m just going to post a picture of the Roamer to kind of test this blog thing….stay tuned for our blog and follow along if you would like.  ;) Ranell