Impromptu Camping At Anastasia State Park

Our buddies Joe and Tina from Ohio had been camping at Anastasia State Park for the last ten days or so. Gary had gone out to visit with them three times. With only three days left before they were leaving, another visit was planned. Tina suggested that Dodge or Casper be driven to the park, and Gary could use whichever of the vans to camp in at Joe and Tina's campsite. Gary appreciated the offer, but wasn't thrilled about the idea of going camping without me. So, he checked online to see if there were any campsites available. Being a coastal park, Anastasia is difficult to get into at any time of the year. At first look, the park was totally full. No surprise there. He looked again a few minutes later, and one campsite had become available due to a cancellation. He quickly snapped it up. Amazingly, the campsite was in the same loop that Joe and Tina were in. How convenient! He notified Tina that all of us (Gary, Dodge, & me) would be coming out the following day (Monday). Gary cleaned me up a little, and gathered everything we would need for our two day stay. Needless to say, I was SO happy to be going camping again. Just when I thought I was stuck here at home until next fall, I was blessed with this AMAZING news. I couldn't wait to get started. By Monday afternoon, Gary had everything ready to go, and off we went. The park is only about ten miles from home, so it was a short trip. Heading down highway A1A, I could see the lighthouse ahead in the distance, and I knew the entrance to the park was even closer. A few minutes later, we were checking in at the park office. Campsite #134 was ours. We stopped for a few seconds to say hi to Joe and Tina as we passed by their campsite, and I got to see their trailer FALA for the first time. It's a retro Serro Scotty, made in 2010, so just a baby compared to an old guy like me. We made our way around the corner to our campsite. It was a nice one. Of all the times we had camped at Anastasia in the past, we had never stayed in campsite 134 before. Gary got me set up with a little help from Joe, and then he was off to visit with his friends. He was gone until 10PM or so. I had some squirrels to entertain me during the daylight hours, and TV to watch after dark. For some unknown reason, Gary didn't sleep well. He tossed and turned for most of the night, and that kept me awake as well. He went over to have breakfast with Joe and Tina and their cute little dogs, Maizie the Scottish Terrier, and Auggie the Wheaton Terrier on Tuesday morning, and spent the entire day with them. I took a nap (due to my lack of sleep during the previous night), and enjoyed the sights and sounds of camping when I was awake. Gary came back to me around 8:30PM. We both slept very well. Early Wednesday, Gary had breakfast with his pals again, but not before getting me ready to head home around noon. Our stay was fun, but WAY too short. I'm VERY grateful though that we got to camp again. Back home at the Green Acres Garage, I'm here in my usual spot in the middle of the garage, surrounded by mountains of Gary's junk. He promises to clean up the garage this year, and I hope he does. This mess is EMBARRASSING!!! Anyway, special thanks to our buddies Joe and Tina for coming to town. I'm sure we wouldn't have gone camping again this spring without them being here. And thanks as well to whoever cancelled their reservation at the exact time we were looking for a campsite. That worked out perfectly! Later, my friends.

Spring Is Here, And I Got Sprung

Hello friends, and welcome to the first day of spring. It was a BEAUTIFUL day here in St. Augustine, and I got sprung from the confines of the Green Acres Garage to come outside and hang with my buddies. It's been a month today since we got back home from our last camping trip. I've been patiently passing the days watching TV and napping, while Gary has been working away on various projects. Since closing our booth at the antique store a little over three weeks ago, he has been EXTREMELY busy. Not having to cater to the time demands that a booth requires, he has gotten a LOT of projects either finished or started here at home. He seems to be much happier seeing progress being made, and I know for a fact that he's sleeping better. When I came outside today, I stopped first to check out the interior painting that Gary just finished inside of "Dorsey" the storage container. Nice job! The fresh white paint is FAR better than the graffiti-ridden bare plywood, and it's MUCH lighter and cleaner looking. Next on my outdoor adventure, was a stop inside the Green Acres Carport. It was built just about a year ago, but this was my first time being under it. It's 900 square feet of AWESOMENESS!!! Unfortunately, it's a bit cluttered at the moment with large items that were intended to be sold at Booth 366, but somehow never made it there. As things get more under control around here, Gary will find new homes for anything that he can't use. That's part of the master plan. While under the carport, I visited with the biggest van in our fleet ("Max"). He's been hanging out under the carport since it was completed. My Serro Scotty sisters ("Caroline", "Jackie", and "Bernadette"), who are just outside the carport on the south side, seemed happy to see me. Just beyond them is "Holmes", a van that was purchased for parts. My brother "Henry", a former travel trailer who is now a utility trailer, was right behind me on the north side of the carport. This was the first time we had all been this close to each other in years. Towed behind my buddy "Dodge", my ride through the yard continued. I stopped to see the remains of "Scotty". He is covered with a tarp, and like most of the other trailers here, he awaits a total rebuild. He was the first Serro Scotty that Gary purchased, but sadly has yet to get the attention he deserves. Heading east towards the front yard, we stopped to see "Chip". His frame is strewn with pieces of old trailer skins, concrete blocks, and other junk. "Chip" was purchased as a donor trailer for me. Several of my windows originally belonged to my dear little brother. The eighth and final Serro Scotty that you didn't see on today's tour is "Poppy". My sweet little sister has been my roommate inside the garage since she got here about three years ago. Also inside the garage is a '71 Dodge Dart and a '65 Dodge A-100 van. Both aren't currently running and are on the list of future projects. That's a LONG list! Do you see a pattern here? Moving on, we visited with "Connie" the conversion van. She has that big driveway all to herself. She will likely be finding a new home after repairs. Circling back around the house, Dodge and I hung out in the shade of the big oak tree in the backyard for an hour or so, and then I was towed back to the carport. Gary decided to let me spend the night out here. It's something I've been wanting to do, and I guess it's kind of my reward for being a good boy lately. I'm not alone, of course. Gary is with me. He's watching TV while I catch up on my blog. I was SO excited about today's activities, that I just HAD to tell you about it. What a FUN day! Goodnight and sweet dreams from Toaster and Gary, LIVE from the Green Acres Carport.