3 generations

The whole family came by and partied for Jim Sr.'s birthday party. Here's a photo of grandfather and grandson.

Happy Birthday, Dad

I am proud to be your son. Queen Victoria said: "None of you can ever be proud enough of being the child of SUCH a Father who has not his equal in this world-so great, so good, so faultless. Try, all of you, to follow in his footsteps and don't be discouraged, for to be really in everything like him none of you, I am sure, will ever be. Try, therefore, to be like him in some points, and you will have acquired a great deal." I try to be like you. There has never been a better example to follow. I am here for you now as you have always been there for me. I love you.

South Florida Living

If you want the RV lifestyle, like we do, you should know that RV parks are in short supply in South Florida. If you want to stay here in the winter, you need to make reservations at least 6 months in advance. Land is just so much more valuable developed into condos. All the places that used to be RV parks have sold to the developers. Paradise Island, where we stay, is one of the very few left. And, in summertime, sites are still plentiful. I've been remiss in not posting any flower pictures since we've been here. After all, 'Florida' means land of flowers (or something like that). These photos were taken here in the park. But, if you want a bachelor pad ... we saw just the place last night! It's Marina Bay. There's a marina, clubhouse and spa, restaurant, and apartments. We went to visit our friend, Glenn who just moved in a week or so ago. Here's the pool at the clubhouse. hmmm - a bar / restaurant just down the sidewalk from his apartment. Sounds dangerous to me! He confirms ... he's had dinner there 6 of the last 7 nights. Hey Glenn, THANX for a wonderful evening! (I'm sure you'd rather hear those words from some young, single 'hottie' ... but, that's the best I can do!)

Oregon is beautiful this time of year

I'm sitting in the airport in Redmond, Oregon, just wasting time waiting for my flight back. The Rally was a success for us. I was kept busy the whole time. We were the wi-fi hotspot and help desk for the event. It amazes me how many more RVers are using computers. Last year there were times when our hotspot location was empty. This time around we were constantly busy. We had 8 public PC workstations set up and there was always a waiting line for them. We had 3 phone lines for the folks still using modems, and WiFi throughout the registration building. We only had table space for 20 laptop users, so some folks were sitting on the floor. I hope the future rallies can give us more. More chairs, more bandwidth, more PCs for the attendees. Many more of the attendees understand the technology and are able to get connected without assistance. There were still plenty who didn't have a clue. It is fun to help folks get connected the first time. I think we were appreciated. The next big rally is in Minot, ND. Stop by the Coach Connect Hotspot and say Hi!

Time Stands Still

I knew I wouldn't have much to say this week, while Jim is in Oregon and I'm here in Fort Lauderdale. But it feels so unnatural not to post to the weblog. Like time is standing still. Days don't go by if I don't write about them! I talk and instant message to Jim every day. He says that the number of WiFi users at the Great North American RV Rally has increased significantly since last year. The space provided for the hotspot is a lot bigger than it was last year, yet people have filled every chair and are sitting all over the floor with their laptops. Most people have newer computers too, so there are not so many of them needing help to connect. With the newer systems - you just turn it on and it works! Jim also presented the 'Get Away, Stay Connected' seminar for Coach Connect. He said there were at least 250 people in the audience. A little different than the 6-10 people we're accustomed to at the RV parks! I've been going to business group meetings and socials. I even got up for a 7am Toastmasters meeting this morning and volunteered to do a speech next week. hmmmm, what should I talk about? Had happy hour with old friends last night. And another friend will be coming by my place tonight. I've been visiting with my Mom - we're going to go over some lessons on Moviemaker this afternoon. I've set a goal to help her figure out how to get clips of her underwater video onto her website. Gotta get that done before we take off again! Here's home for this month. See those kayaks? They're ready. Hurry home Jim so we can go divin'!