Stuck In St. Augustine.....For Now

 Hi, everyone! It's me, your old pal Toaster. Let me set the record straight. I'm still alive, contrary to a few rumors I've heard. I just don't do much or go anywhere anymore, so there isn't a lot of exciting things to share with you like I used to when I was traveling and going to new places. I'm 51 years old now, and I know that life slows down quite bit whenever you get older. I just didn't think I'd be stuck here in the Green Acres Garage with piles of junk around me, and not even be able to go outside to see the sunshine and maybe get that bath so I so desperately need. At least I'm in a safe place, and I know I'm still very well loved and appreciated by my owner and best friend, Gary. That's more than a lot of my vintage trailer friends can say. For now, I live vicariously through all of the travel videos I watch on YouTube. I'll be patient. I know that many more fun days are ahead for me, I just don't know when. 

The last time I blogged, I told you about the 34 acre property that we (Gary and I) bought in Elberton, Georgia. Did you notice how I include myself in on this purchase? HaHa!!! There was some good progress made there last fall and winter. A granite gravel driveway now makes the property accessible from the road, and a section of fence with a gate crossing the driveway helps keep any curiosity seekers out. A temporary power pole was installed, and a separate new power pole was also installed, with a bright LED nightlight to light up the entrance area. Where the driveway currently ends behind the 100+ year old house that sits at the front of the property, Gary worked on chopping his way through the woods. Smaller trees and vegetation were removed and burned. Larger trees will be removed by professionals with the proper equipment. There's limitations on what Gary can do with a small chainsaw and hand tools. He's trying to keep safety in mind. That's a relief to me, since I'm not there to keep an eye on him. 

Clearing and cleaning continue around and inside of what Gary refers to as the "Elberton Mansion". Originally, only the back of the house was accessible at all, but now there's no problem getting all the way around it. Accumulated piles of cut debris have been burned, and so has water damaged and termite eaten old furniture that was piled up in all the rooms of the house. All of the metal junk was hauled away for recycling. A few choice useable pieces are still in the house, while other pieces were brought back here and sold on Marketplace. 

In October (less than a month from now), Gary will head back to Elberton to continue working. He will hire those professionals I mentioned earlier, to do whatever he can't do himself. He plans on making major headway in the coming months, and maybe even have a homesite cleared by the time next spring arrives. He hasn't actually chosen a homesite location yet. He just knows he wants it to be somewhere further back from the main highway. The property is roughly 2200 feet long, so he can go as far back as he wants to. Right now, he has only cleared back as far as where the blue dot is the following photo. He is attempting to keep the future driveway extension very near the center of the two 17 acre properties. The former owners names (Moss & Wells) still appear on the properties in the photo. Not sure why, but it takes the Counties in Georgia a LONG time to update property ownership names. It took over a year for Gary's name to finally show up via online property records searches, even though he had paid taxes and gotten permits. 

I guess that pretty much catches you up with the lives of Toaster and Gary for now. As you can tell, rumors of my demise were totally false. I'm still here! Gary and I hope you are all doing very well, and enjoying your lives to the fullest. We will try our best to do the same. Thank you all for being so patient, and continuing to read my blog and about our past adventures, even though I very rarely post anything new. I'll do better if and when I can actually get out of this garage! Take care, my friends. 

ELBERTON!!!

Hey, my friends! Since I don't blog as often as I used to, lots of things happen over time that I forget to tell you about. I definitely have plenty to share with you, even though I'm not traveling and visiting exciting places like I used to. I hope you'll still enjoy the somewhat Adventure-less Toaster as much as you used to enjoy the Adventurous Toaster. I'll hopefully be traveling again in the future, but when that will happen remains unknown. 

Here's what's been going on over the past few months. First, Gary and I celebrated our birthdays in February. Neither of us are thrilled with getting older, but there's no escaping it. I don't feel any different being 50 than I did being 40, or even 30. They say that you feel as good as you act, so I still act like a kid as much as possible. Gary puts up with my childish behavior, but I am seeing more eye rolling on his part than ever. 

As I previously told you about, we bought three properties in Georgia last year. They are various sizes (acreage) in different parts of the State. The original plan was to simply own some Georgia property. But Gary decided (after spending lots of time in the area), that the northeast part of the State is where we will live someday. Who am I to argue? Over the years, we camped all around the area he's decided on settling down in, and it's my favorite part of Georgia as well. One of the three properties we bought last year is in the area we really love, but it just isn't big enough to build what we want and have the privacy we also desire. So, all three of the properties we bought are going up for sale this week. While on a camping trip without me in February (with Casper the cargo van instead), Gary found a 17 acre parcel of land in Elberton that he instantly fell in love with. An offer was made and accepted, and we got it! A short time later, the adjoining 17 acres went up for sale, and we bought that one too. So now we have an enormous 34 acres in the Granite Capital Of The World, Elberton Georgia, and we are BEYOND excited!!! We also sold our second (and last) 1-1/4 acre lot here locally in March, so all we have left in Florida is our property here at Green Acres. We have to hang onto that one for awhile, since we don't have anything built in Elberton to actually move into yet. We'll work on that, but we need to sell the three properties we bought last year first. 

After buying the first 17 acres in Elberton, and while in the process of buying the second 17 acres, Gary and Casper went up there to camp for 10 days in April. They stayed at nearby Richard B. Russell State Park, a place I've never been to, but hope to visit whenever I get to travel again. Campsite 18, overlooking Lake Russell, was theirs, and it looks BEAUTIFUL!!! There's a VERY old house on the property (uninhabitable) that Gary spent time cleaning up around, and he dug up a bunch of "treasures" in the yard, some of which he brought back for me to see. He says there's a lot of "stuff" there, and we all know how much Gary loves "stuff". The garage here is full of it. 

As I write this, it's an 84 degree Florida morning (with a feels like temperature of 90), and this is only the beginning of the typical hot and humid summer that we reluctantly endure every year. It will only get worse as the days roll by. Oh goodie! It gets hot in northeast Georgia too, but it doesn't stay that way for as long as it does in Florida, and it stays cooler up there for longer. Elevation makes a big difference in the temperature. The elevation of here in St. Augustine is ZERO, and the elevation in Elberton is 702. I get cooler just thinking about that higher elevation. 

That's about all that I can think of to tell you about at the moment, but isn't that enough? It's been a very eventful year thus far, and I doubt if it's going to calm down at all. I'll try to keep Gary in line. Lord knows he needs the help. I'll blog again whenever something really exciting happens to tell you about. Have a wonderful summer, stay cool if you can, and be safe out there. Until next time, this is your pal Toaster. Over and OUT!!! 

 

Junked In

 

I'm about a month late in wishing you all a Happy New Year. Sorry about that! I hope your 2022 is off to an EXCELLENT start. All is well here at Green Acres. The last time I blogged, it was roasting hot here in north Florida. I was spending some time outside under the big oak tree in the back yard with my little sister Poppy. I spent a total of 104 days out there. Now I'm back inside the garage, and "junked in" behind a bunch of Gary's "stuff". That's pretty typical. There's always more "stuff" in here than there's room for. At least the weather has been amazingly nice, and I'm not sweating to death. Gary and Casper the cargo van went on a three week trip in December. Casper has been transformed into a part time camper that transforms back into a cargo hauler whenever the need arises. They visited five different Georgia State Parks, and lots of antique stores to buy more "stuff" to clutter the garage with. Buying "stuff" is what Gary likes to do best of all. I guess he could be doing worse things. If it makes him happy, then that's fine with me. I would've been lonely while Gary and Casper were gone if not for my buddy Dodge. He kept me company. I can always count on him. I miss going camping, but I've got some frame issues that keep me from traveling right now. These things happen when you get old. Speaking of getting old, I'll be FIFTY on February 19th. Can you believe it? I'll be eligible to join A.A.R.C. (American Association of Retired Campers). I was thinking I could join A.A.R.P., but that's only for humans. Gary and I have the same birthday, but he's MUCH older than me, 17 years older to be exact. He still does pretty well for an antique, or should I say Mid Century Modern? HaHaHaHa!!! I told you previously about the 4.39 acres of land we bought in Lexington Georgia. Well since then, we also bought an 8.91 acre parcel in Dry Branch, and a 3.00 acre property in the Georgia mountains in Ellijay. We've become land barons! We also sold a 1 acre lot that we owned here in Florida, and have another 1-1/4 acre lot that is currently up for sale. The goal is to eventually move out of Florida. We're working on it! That's the latest news from an unusually crisp and cool day here at the Green Acres Garage. Until next time, have fun and stay out of trouble! Your pal, Toaster.

It's Been Over A Year, But I'm Still Here!

Hello, my friends and fans! Have you been wondering what happened to me? Did you think I had died and gone to that big campground in the sky? Well, I'm happy to say I'm still here, and still relatively healthy in my old age. I'll be AARP eligible in just 6 more months! Can you believe it? After a year and a half of being cooped up inside the garage, I've finally escaped to the back yard. I'm enjoying the fresh air, the rain on my skin, and hanging out with my little sister Poppy. Not sure how long I'll be out here, but it's the closest thing to actual camping I have done since February 2020. Except for some early morning sun, I'm totally in the shade for the remainder of the day. It's still hot out here, after all, this IS Florida, and this IS summer. At least it's slightly cooler than being inside my big steel garage. I was filthy dirty from all these months of confinement and inactivity. The rain has helped wash a little of the "crud" off of me, but I REALLY need a thorough scrubbing and a good soapy bath. I'm hoping that my buddy Gary will see how nasty I still am, and will do something about it. I'm embarrassed to have my picture taken right now, but I probably don't look too awful from wherever you're seeing me from. As you know, it's been over a year since my last blog post. You probably thought that I've been off camping somewhere, and just too busy and having too much fun to write. Far from it. I haven't been ANYWHERE!!! We had camping reservations for this past fall and winter, but Gary cancelled them all due to the COVID situation. Will this ever be over? Maybe we can do some traveling this coming fall and winter, but I'm not going to get my hopes up. Gary only goes out once a month or so for supplies, and he buys enough stuff when he does go out to keep him home for long periods of time. His record amount of days staying home in a row is 56, and there was another time he stayed home for 49 days straight. He drives Casper the cargo van on the rare occasions that he does go anywhere. My camping pal Dodge, the third member of The Three Camp-A-Teers, (along with Gary and I), stays home with me, and has only gone on one trip since we came back from camping in February 2020. Where did he go to? Gary found a 2001 6x12 red Haulmark cargo trailer on Facebook Marketplace that he wanted to buy, and it was all the way over on the west coast of Florida. So, Dodge and Gary drove all the way across the State to get the trailer and bring him home. That was only a couple of weeks after I blogged for the last time in August of 2020. Everybody around here has a name, and we couldn't think of anything fitting for a red cargo trailer. Our friend Ron Roberson suggested "Caboose" for a name, and it stuck. Since train cabooses are usually red and are always behind all of the other train cars, the name fit perfectly. Thanks, Ron! Caboose is quite unusual. We haven't seen any other trailers that have four doors, one on each side and two in the back. The folks at the Haulmark factory told Gary that Caboose must have been a special order trailer, because they don't normally build them with four doors, normally just three. He is very airy and more accessible with that extra door. Gary is in the process of insulating Caboose, and also adding some shelving, an electrical hookup, and some lighting. In December of 2020, after 49 years and 11 months of being a part of Gary's family, "Mr Dart" (the 1971 Dodge Dart) went to a new home. It was hard for Gary to let Mr. Dart go, but he was deteriorating just sitting here, and we were running out of covered storage space to keep him under. Our pal Chris, the body shop craftsman who repaired Dodge so well after his accidents, is Mr. Dart's new owner. Chris has the skills and desire to make Mr. Dart as good or better than new, and Gary likely wouldn't have sold him to anybody other than Chris. Plus, Gary will get to see Mr. Dart from time to time, and I know that's important to him. In more recent news, and VERY exciting news for us, is that we are now Georgia property owners. WOO-HOO!!! We (notice how I include myself) now own a wooded 4.39 acre plot of land in the little town of Lexington, very near Athens. What Gary does with the property is still undetermined, but after a long search, I'm glad he found some land he wanted. It was a great price too. Those are all the major events that have happened around here since I last posted. Like usual, Gary has literally hundreds of projects in the works, and I'm always around for moral support, since I'm not much help with physical labor. It's an overcast and rainy day here, Poppy has on her rain hat, and I think she and I have caught up on everything that's been going on since we last spent time together. Gary has been suggesting that I get everybody caught up with our activities, and this seemed like the perfect day to do it. Mission accomplished! It's almost time for "People's Court", so I'm going to scoot. Thanks for checking in, sorry it's been so long, and I hope you all are safe, healthy, and having fun. Catch ya later! Love, Toaster. 
 

Three Nights At General Coffee On The Way Home

Hello out there! How is Coronavirus summer going for everyone? Is this unbelievable, or what? All is well with us, except for the extreme Florida heat and humidity, but that's nothing new. I'm sure you're tired of hearing me whine about it, so I'll move on to the main reason I'm writing my blog today. In my previous batch of posts, I was telling all of you about our exciting fall 2019 trip into various parts of Georgia. With stops at Magnolia Springs, Watson Mill Bridge, Fort Mountain, and Fort Yargo in the rear view mirror, our final stop was at General Coffee State Park. The park is very near the town of Douglas in the southeast part of the State. It's a convenient location for us to visit, as well as being on the short list of our favorite places, so we stop there nearly every time we go camping in Georgia. It was roughly 212 miles from our stop in Fort Yargo to General Coffee, and an easy ride down US441. All of those fall colors we had encountered earlier in the trip, quickly disappeared as we headed south. We left those cooler temperatures behind us as well, although it was nowhere near as hot as it was when we first started our trip. It was still relatively pleasant during the day, and nice enough at night to sleep comfortably. Our three nights at General Coffee was spent in our usual campsite: number 38. There was only a handful of campers in the park, so it was quiet and very relaxing. I didn't include many photos with my post this time. I've posted a zillion pictures of the park previously, so I'm trying to avoid being overly repetitive. I just had to include a few pictures of our donkey friends Poncho and Jennie though. They're so cute! Gary always brings them carrots or apples or both. They always enjoy and appreciate their snacks. Our commemorative bricks are still embedded into the sidewalk in front of the park museum, so that's good. It's hard to believe our first visit to General Coffee was all the way back in 2013. Time flies! TV reception is non-existent at General Coffee, so I napped a lot while Gary and Dodge were off doing their usual things. They antique shopped in Douglas, and also in the town of Fitzgerald, which is roughly 40 miles west of the park. Gary had seen a HUGE industrial building for sale online that was located in Fitzgerald, so he wanted to see it while we were in the general area. He wasn't impressed with the building. Our trip began on October 29th, and we left General Coffee and headed home on November 13th. It was a GREAT getaway, and we enjoyed every minute of it. Here are a few stats from the trip, for those of you who like to document everything like Gary and I do: Gary and Dodge traveled a total of 1608 miles, 1030 of those miles with me in tow, and 578 miles without me, and we spent 15 nights at 5 different parks. That's about all for this time. Hang in there, stay safe, and I'll chat with you all again as soon as I hibernate for awhile. 

Heading South To Fort Yargo State Park

We REALLY enjoyed our four night stay at Fort Mountain State Park, but it was time to move on. Instead of traveling back up the mountain that we came in on, and putting our old pal Dodge through all that torture, we came down the mountain and into the town of Chatsworth, and headed on from there. I know Dodge appreciated the easier ride on flatter ground. It was roughly 30 additional miles to bypass the mountain terrain, but well worth it. Our next stop along the way was a brief two night stay at Fort Yargo State Park, about a mile south of Winder, Georgia. Winder is located between Athens and Atlanta to give you all an adea of the location. We had camped at Fort Yargo once before, but that was way back in December 2015. Things have changed since our earlier visit. The small log cabin that was used as the park office was gone, and a BEAUTIFUL new office and gift shop was where we checked in at. It's VERY impressive! We camped in the same site we camped in last time, number 33. We liked it then, and we liked it this time. A super nice restroom is a brief walk down the road. Fort Yargo encompasses a total of 1816 acres, has a 260 acre lake with a man-made beach, has 38 campsites, 6 yurts, 13 cabins, and 3 cottages. There's plenty to do within the park, and our two night stay wasn't nearly long enough. As usual, Gary spent the majority of one day in nearby Braselton, taking in several antique shops. I took it easy (what else is new, right?) at the campground, feeding the squirrels and watching TV. Temperatures were still mild, with middle 40's in the mornings, and upper 60's in the afternoons. That's about perfect for us. This was the last time on this round of camping where we would actually see some colorful leaves on the trees. I'm going to try my best to get Gary and Dodge to take me back to Fort Yargo again, and stay there for a longer period of time. We'll see if my powers of persuasion are as good as I think they are. Until next time, stay safe and healthy. Your pals, The Three Camp-A-Teers, also known as Gary, Toaster, & Dodge.