New Year’s Day was uneventful.  We watched the Rose Parade and just hung out until afternoon when Dick had a meeting with Dualco to orientate them on their new computer system.  While he was gone, Millie got the Christmas decorations down and packed away. 

       Sunday evening we met John and Irisgay and had a great dinner at Outback.  Afterwards we visited.

       Dick’s follow-up appointment with the Cardiologist was scheduled for 3 on Monday.  The office called on Monday and said it needed to be rescheduled for Tuesday.  This was not what we wanted, we wanted to be on the road on Tuesday, but that is one of the advantages of being retired, you can be flexible. 

       Tuesday the Dr. office called again.  Said to check with them before coming in that afternoon.  He was doing surgery and would be running late.  Dick called about an hour before his appointment time and they said wait until later to come in, the Dr. was still not in and there were folks ahead of him.  We waited and then called again.  Still not in.  We decided to go ahead and go to the office and just wait there. 

       It was after 5 before the Dr. finally got to the office and nearly 6 before Dick was seen.  He checked him over and told us everything was fine and we could head to Florida.  (Yeah!) We will need to come back again in April.  We will stop for a couple of days  on our way back through to Las Cruses, NM.   Afterwards we went to eat and then to Ann’s to say our goodbyes.  Mary and Frank came over and we visited for a while before heading home. 

      Wednesday we hitched up and said our goodbyes to Wright and Sharon, Jack and Ruth.  We were finally on the road again. 

      We took three days to get to Tampa, stopping in Louisiana and Alabama for the night.  We were wondering if there was a Travel Supreme rally happening in the park in Alabama, there were about a half a dozen units around us.  This is the most we have seen in one place unless it is a rally.

        We arrived at Encore RV Park in Dover, FL on a beautiful, sunny day.  We spent time setting up and then went to have dinner. 

            The Tampa RV Super show is one of the largest shows in the country and we had wanted to attend for several years.  Opening day is Senior Day and we headed over on a very warm afternoon.  We wandered around looking at all the booths and lots of RV’s.  This show actually allows you to go inside the million dollar rigs, which most shows do not.  We enjoyed looking at a lot of rigs and seeing new innovations.  We really liked some of the new rigs with the living area and kitchen separated by French doors, but didn’t see anything that would entice us to buy a new unit. 

         Dick contacted an RV detailing service and had the trailer washed.  It was really dirty and looks better now.  He washed and waxed the truck himself. 

        The weather has been wonderful and we have enjoyed sitting outside.  We had a few cool days, but it rebounded back really fast. 

            We didn’t do anything special this month, just hung out and enjoyed the sun.  Millie brought some of her decorative plates from storage and we got them hung over the slides in the living area.  Millie did some sewing.  She assembled a pillow from a quilt block she had made a couple of years ago.  She also made a quilt block to send for the quilt that is being made for the Freightliner RV Haulers club.  Members make the blocks and the quilt is then auctioned off at the rally.  She also got the valances and tie backs made for the bedroom to coordinate with the Maine quilt, which is now on the bed. 

         Dick took the truck in to have the oil changed and the transmission fluid changed.  It was a long day for him.  He was there at 7 AM and got home at 8 PM that night.  Most of the day was spent just waiting for them to get around to doing the service. 

      On Saturday, January 29 we received a call from Phyllis to let us know that Dick had passed away the night before.  He had been in ICU for three weeks.  On top of all his other health issues, he had fallen and broken his hip.  He was a dear friend and we will miss him but are thankful that he is free of pain.

      Sunday morning we were on the road at 6 AM heading north to Birmingham for the memorial service for Dick.  We decided to leave the trailer in Dover and just stay in a motel.  The staff at the park will keep an eye on things for us.  We left plenty of food and water for the girls.

       We arrived in Birmingham around 4 PM and checked into our motel.  After resting for a while, we met Phyllis at the home of her daughter, Tonya.  We spent the evening visiting with the family.

        Monday we went to Phyllis’s.  Dick’s brother, Bob,  had arrived from NC and we all visited until time to go to the memorial service.  It was a touching service.  Afterwards we all went back to Tonya’s for a meal provided by some of her English students. 

       Tuesday found us up early and heading back to Florida.  It was raining and cold when we left Birmingham, but by the time we reached Georgia it had quit raining.  It was an uneventful trip and we were glad to be back home. 

       Please remember Phyllis and her family in your prayers during this difficult time.