Where do 4 Wheelers go at Night?

We quickly realized, as we started our trip back to Indiana in our toad, that we have done little long distance driving in the USA outside of an RV. (Strictly speaking, we have a frog - Four Rolling On Ground - not a toad, which is a backronym for Two On A Dolly. In any event, it's that little clunker that follows the coach everywhere)
Back in the old country, of course, there is no such thing as long distance driving since the whole place is only about the size of Alabama. Worse yet, the longest drive we had taken in the toad (a Saturn Vue) had been occasional emergencies - ice cream procurement or Outback Steakhouse therapy, that sort of thing. Driving nearly 1200 miles in this woeful little machine is certainly not for the faint of heart!
Roadside feeding is also a crap-shoot. The only constant is that the same basic four food groups - fat, starch, cholesterol and salt - are always on offer in a variety of branded disguises. Bio-breaks are yet another excruciating "off-road" experience with adventures into swampy grottoes adorned with wet paper towels and other, even less inviting artifacts. In reality, even the acquisition of a glass of water, a cup of tea or a cold soda is elevated to the level of a carefully planned excursion into the hinterland of such magnitude, that dehydration quickly becomes the preferred alternative. To make matters even worse, each of these forays into the DMZ results in a loss of twenty minutes or more, making daily progress miserably slow.
The ultimate terror, what to do when it gets dark? No more locating a convenient Wal-Mart on the Internet and setting the GPS to head there. Instead, there are volumes of visitor reviews of stays at various of America's finest roadside motels. Noted features include sticky carpets, freeway noise, trains passing every ten minutes, eccentric plumbing, strange stains, large insects stumbling around, curious odors, hostile staff, no functioning air conditioner and many other unexpected thrills for the innocent traveler to discover. Checking in was a little bizarre as well, since we had no formal baggage, just armfuls of computers, cameras, GPSs - each with its yards of entrails and dangling connectors - and, as a hurried afterthought, a couple of grocery sacks containing needed personal items.
Even so, the Interstate motel scene was quite interesting. Many old geezers like ourselves leisurely roving around the country (most well heeled enough to have real luggage), "new-lifers" hauling their old life behind them in U-Haul rentals, coach loads of of sports retards traveling to or from their latest vandal gathering and regular families with their 2.4 kids burning off a day's energy screaming along the corridors and slamming doors. A challenging slice of Americana.
And the evening meal? You guessed it, another selection from the four food groups. If there is an upside to this regime, it is that each meal probably moves one a week closer to the big cash register in the sky, ultimately eliminating the need to travel, sooner rather than later.
Despite these horrors, there are a few pluses to four-wheeler travel. You can get in and out of every parking lot, find somewhere to park in almost every little burg, buy fuel at any gas station (sometimes more than once a day!) and back track easily to visit unexpected features that sometimes flash by. The azaleas and their butterfly sex-slave was one such stop that would have been impracticable in the big rig.
Our conclusion from this rude awakening is to devise ways in which we can reduce the pain on our return trip to Lazy Days at the end of June to pick up our new coach. Two things for sure, we will be so grateful to have our home on wheels back again and will forever regard four wheelers with a new level of pity!

Free at Last, Free at Last...

For the first time since 1991 we are free of that habit forming blight - the RV, temporarily at least. Last week, our little convoy set off to the land of the newly-weds and nearly-deads to turn our RVs in to the grim raper, Lazy Days. With Black Bess hauling the Saturn Vue and Marian bringing up the rear (which she still does very nicely) in White Rabbit. An uneventful 1150 miles, except for the frenetic traffic from Chattanooga on south and approximately 100 miles of road works set out for our entertainment.
We arrived at Lazy Days on Friday, in the nick of time for a life threatening calorie infusion at the Crown Club luncheon, having dumped the vehicles at the Check-in. By the time we were thrown out of the Crown Club, the Signature had been parked at a delivery site where we were to perform the last rites, and the Vue was parked alongside. "Where is the little one?" we naively asked. Turned out that it had already been through the shave and shampoo ritual and was strutting its stuff among the other used RVs, almost crying out "Choose me, choose me!" Got to hand it to Lazy days when it comes to inventory turns effort.
After signing a couple of papers and sinking a few mud slides at cocktail time, we spent our last evening in Ol' Faithful. It is nothing short of amazing, that having essentially stripped the coach bare in Indiana, we were still finding odd items here and there that had escaped notice. By mid-morning on Saturday however, everything had been tossed into the Vue which, by this juncture, had taken on the air of a garbage skow and it was finally time to cut the umbilical. After five years and 50+ thousand miles, I had to pry Marian from the coach where she appeared to be embarking on some close encounters of an uncertain kind.
I finally got her attention by pointing to a shiny new coach and assured her "...those nice people in Oregon were building one just like that, especially for her..." That did the trick - fickle as she is, Black Bess was cursorily abandoned as the numerous, and largely useless features of her new love were explored and adored. And, just imagine, all it took to bring about this metamorphosis was to open my billfold and utter the magic phrase "Help yourself". Seems to work every time.
Black Bess meanwhile, heaved a final sigh of relief and blissfully looked forward to her first wash in five years.

Rabbit attacked and left for dead!

Roanoke, Indiana 21st March - After getting back to Indiana last week, we cleared everything out of the large RV (fondly known as Black Bess) and prepped it for delivery to Lazy Days in Florida. Next up, it was the turn of White Rabbit, the 23 foot Itasca Navion, for gutting and cleaning ready to join the south-bound posse. With a sigh of relief, White Rabbit started on the first crank and all seemed well. However, while disconnecting the shore power, a colorful flood of vital fluids were seen flowing across the driveway from under the vehicle and running into the grass. A quick inspection, accompanied by a fragrant diesel oil shower, revealed a rodent gnawed fuel line, spray-cleaning the entire under hood area, including the exhaust system. Probably not a good thing.
Comes the tow truck. Hauls the little rig up the extended sloping deck and proceeds to retract the deck. Retraction was proceeding nicely except for the deck staying firmly planted on the driveway and the tow truck front wheels ending three feet in the air. Reverse all procedures and exit tow truck.
Second tow truck appears. This time - no mistakes - overkill was clearly foremost in the mind of the dispatcher. This mechanical marvel, intended for rescuing semis and 45 foot RVs - a veritable incredible hulk, was surely adequate to the task. That, alas, will never be known. Short of clearing an acre or two of woods, there was no way to get this leviathan anywhere near White Rabbit.
A pause for the weekend, and the third try was indeed the charm. After twenty minutes of clanking, creaking and wheezing, the third wrecker hauled a dejected White Rabbit off into the distance and we adjourned for more strong coffee. Several hours later we received the formal diagnosis and quickly switched from coffee to Valium.
In addition to two fuel lines being breached, the power steering hoses had been gnawed to pieces as had the serpentine belt, several air conditioner hoses with the loss of all refrigerant and, as if the varmints needed any assistance, one of the "clanks" heard during the rescue phase turned out to be a frame member that had been crushed. Phew!
The good news is, that of all the parts needed to fix everything, the serpentine belt was actually in stock, everything else has to be ordered. Hurrah for Glenbrook Dodge! The bottom line is about $1,300.00 and the moral of the story is "Don't let your RV play outside on its own for too long."

Ozark Interlude

On our way back north to Indiana, we meandered through Arkansas, from the delta country in the south to the Ozarks in the north. My, what a difference a hundred miles can make. Below Little Rock, Arkansas is flat - very flat down by the Louisiana border - while north of Little Rock the terrain is hilly, especially so if you're driving a Class A RV.
The Ozarks, a dissected plain, comprise the southern half of Missouri, including the Branson area, and the northern portion of Arkansas. The entire region is extensively wooded and is enhanced by several large man made lakes developed throughout the twentieth century. Relaxing countryside with numerous peaks around 1,500 feet.
It is on the banks of one such enormous lake, formed by The Greer's Ferry Dam, that Vicki and Don are building Xanadu. This particular dam, incidentally, was dedicated by JFK in 1963 - his last public act prior to his fateful final appearance in Dallas. Acting like retired folk with time on their hands, over the last nine months the Leiths have added features and spaces to their house to such an extent that at one time the builder declared it would no longer fit on the lot. Shown is the rear elevation that faces the lake. Suffice it to say, the end result is going to be magnificent and, with two full service RV pads on site, it is destined to become a popular stopover for itinerant motor-homers. Having been entertained in Vicki's bedroom, with Guinness and chips no less (it was OK, really - her mother was there to see fair play), we returned to the campground to enjoy corned beef and cabbage for Saint Patrick's eve. We retired for the night at about 1.00 am having solved most of the worlds problems.

When I Grow Up...

For years, I've wondered what I will do when I grow up. This week I think I found the answer. But more of that anon.
For the last month or so, we have been flitting around Florida and, along the way, have visited various campgrounds to study the reported "explosion" of the condominium resorts. First, we noticed how many plain old campgrounds have recently upgraded to "Resort" status simply by putting up a new sign. Cute move. As for the vaunted lot ownership explosion, in Florida at least, it appears to focus around the sale of tired old campgrounds to eager investment groups, who generally have a game plan along the following lines. 1- Update the amenities; 2 - Advertise individual lots for sale; 3 - Sell 80 or 90 percent of the lots and hand over the operation to the owner community; 4 - Live extravagantly ever after.
In reality, many of these operations seem not to be going to plan and, one way or another, slow sales appear to be at the root of the problem. Whether a company made most of its investment up front, or relied on reinvestment of revenues to build out as sales progressed, at each location that we stayed at there were signs of distress.
Up front investors appear trapped in a sales cycles so slow - as many as seven years in one case - that investment carrying costs have slowly pushed the price of an 80' x 100' lot as high as an astounding $250,000 - pretty salty, especially after pad costs are added and maintenance is figured in. Add a little real estate and pretty soon the cost soars to $400,000 to $700,000.
The pay-as-you-go school have fared no better. Operational costs quickly gobble up the infrequent sales dollars leaving little money for reinvestment, again with the inevitable result of forcing lot prices up. Meanwhile, addition after addition of traditional houses, in similar price ranges and locations, continue to sell, suggesting that the central value proposition of RV lot ownership in Florida may not be what it's crackered up to be.
What a pleasant surprise then, when Marian found Williston Crossings on the Internet and booked us in for a while. Here is a brand new, start from scratch Class A and large fifth wheel only campground, in which the sites are for rent only - no sales! The project is the pride and joy of Bill Martin, a local contractor who majored in banks, burger buildings and similar edifices in the surrounding area. Bill is in his mid sixties and, three years ago, bought 160 acres of wooded land that includes an exhausted limestone quarry. Three years later, the enterprise is about one third complete - 115 sites out an eventual 330 with 50 more slated for this year - and is pretty much booked up to a year ahead. The project is being built from the rear exit forward and construction is managed via the eventual front entrance leaving campers undisturbed. Thus far, the campground has a park like feeling with large, level, screened sites and a quiet, comfortable atmosphere. Present amenities include paved roads, upscale club house, laundry facilities, camp fire, fishing, trolley cars to ferry folk to events and excellent security. Currently under construction is a grist mill, a waterfall with fish lagoon and preparatory work for two swimming pools to be built this summer. While we were there, a 60' x 80' lumber pavilion was erected for outdoor events. Planned for the future is an entire mini-village with a railway station with train, shops, ice cream parlor, a fire station and a church. The quarry is being remodeled into a fishing and boating area with rumors of a nine hole golf course to follow.But, for me, the best part of this park is that something is always going on. One or more of a powerful stable of yellow Tonka toy machines can usually be found trenching, excavating, dredging, bulldozing, pulverizing, compacting, building, tree felling, ditching or grading somewhere on the property. And, from the number of other head shaking wastrel spectators like me that turn up for these events, the fantasy of a playground such as this is probably not mine alone. Maybe, I could even consider some sharing of the toys if this was really what I could do when I grow up.

See Nerd's Nirvana Slideshow

In the meantime, whenever we are traveling through northern Florida on US 19, US 27, US 41 or I-75, we will be stopping by Williston Crossings for a few days, just to make sure they are doing things properly.

Williston, old time Florida

Sometimes referred to as "The Crossroads of Florida", Williston is actually at the intersection where US 27 and US 41 separate again on their journey south. Outside of this rousing achievement not a whole lot goes on in town.

The most exciting shopping opportunity in town
is at the local hardware store where a variety
of concrete yard ornaments are available

Marian was strangely attracted to this big
fella but, happily, there was no room in
the coach for such a cutie

With a population of 6,000 or so, the most recent excitement
dates back to 1975 when Foolish Pleasure, a locally born
horse, won the Kentucky Derby. How about that!

Since we were in the market for another coach we
checked out a couple of sub-prime repo RVs. This one
promised great gas mileage but needed a lot of work

I also briefly considered a towable but
Marian appeared less than enthusiastic

A Light at the End of the Tunnel?

In our seventeen years of RVing, motor-home manufacturers have not exactly been paragons of quality control, solid engineering or reliability - far from it in fact. The development of the industry has many parallels, 50 years on, with the origins of the automobile industry at the beginning of the 20th century. Hundreds of would-be manufacturers appeared in the '50s, '60s and '70s with the vast majority disappearing almost as quickly. In recent years there has been both additional fall-out and some encouraging consolidation among manufacturers and this trend seems likely to continue. To see where the industry might be headed it is useful to have a perspective of where it is now. To just look at the pictures, click here - read on for a hearty dose of stupefaction.

The Recreational Vehicle Industry
On a scale of Harley-Davidson to General Motors, the entire recreational vehicle industry - travel trailers, fifth wheels, folding campers, truck campers and all Class A, B and C vehicles - at nine to ten billion dollars annually, is about 1-1/2 times the revenue of Harley-Davidson and 1/20th of that of GM. This is at the manufacturer level, at the retail level the annual sales are around 14 to 15 billion or the equivalent of Office Depot. Keep in mind, these numbers refer to the entire product range of the entire recreational vehicle industry - individual manufacturers or individual market segments are much smaller. For most buyers, recreational vehicles are big ticket items, and, in most cases, the decision to purchase is discretionary. As such, this industry, along with sailboats, light aircraft and summer cottages, is at the sharp end of the fortunes of the nation with the feast or famine roller-coaster making orderly progress difficult. The following chart, data from RVIA, of annual RV shipments since 1978 is testament to this, wherein it took 28 years to eclipse the unit count attained in 1978.
Accordingly, industry retail sales have also been unpredictable year over year, bounced around by external influences such as the vitality of the economy, the dot.com bubble and the 9/11 attacks. Note, that although the chart above indicates significant growth over the period covered, the inflation adjusted growth is quite sobering. The next chart shows the same data in 1978 dollars with Consumer Price Index backed out. None too dynamic!
There turns out to be a positive side to this languid growth. The next chart shows the change in the average retail cost across all recreational vehicles over the period shown - an almost four fold increase of the consumer cost in current dollars.
In inflation adjusted dollars the same data, shown below, represents an extremely modest increase in the average recreational vehicle cost to the consumer - roughly 20% over 28 years.
This significant accomplishment parallels that which happened in the automotive industry over the half century from the 1920s to the 1970s, namely automobiles prices fell dramatically in terms of current dollars while reliability, comfort, convenience, appearance, feature sets and fuel economy all improved enormously. In the case of RVs, slides are now common place, satellite TV reception is taken for granted, refrigerators, air conditioners and microwaves are standard equipment, high efficiency diesel engines are available in all classes of motorized units and options such as navigation systems and home theater installations are commonplace. Many of these items were unheard of 30 years ago let alone readily available in recreational vehicles and all at just a minimal real price increase. To recap then, there are approximately 400 thousand recreational vehicles built each year offering steadily increasing value for money with an average retail price of $38,000. Score one for the industry.

Classifying the Four Hundred Thousand
2007 was a down year for the industry and the unit total was actually a little over 353,000. The RVIA classifies RV sales as shown in the following table. The unit counts and percentages shown in each category are for 2007.
The squeeze could be on for at least one of these classifications, the Class B motor home. Many of these units are more expensive than entry level, and even mid level Class C vehicles, most of which come with at least one slide, an extended body width, 78 inch high ceilings and purpose built plumbing systems. With just 3,100 Class Bs sold last year industry wide, it is difficult to see how this niche can succeed long term.

Who Makes all of these Vehicles?
In spite of the profusion of brands seen in the showrooms and on the road, the majority of US RVs are made by just five companies. The largest of these is Thor Industries, a company started by a couple of entrepreneurs in 1980 when they purchased the fast failing and oldest existing RV manufacturer from the mid thirties, Airstream. Over the ensuing years, Thor successfully salvaged Airstream and acquired the Aerolite, Crossroads, Damon, Dutchman, Four Winds, Keystone, Komfort and Mandalay RV brands, Breckenridge Mobile Homes and General Coach in Canada along with several other bus manufacturers to become the largest medium and small bus producer. With annual revenues in the region of $2.8 billion, Thor accounts for almost 30% of the RV industry employing more than 9,000 personnel in the US and several hundred more in Canada. Quoted on the NYSE as THO, its stock is currently near a 52 week low, so, if you're feeling lucky...
At approximately $2.0 billion annual revenues, Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc. is #2 of the big five. At one time, Fleetwood claimed to make more motorized RVs than all other manufacturers combined and, from the huge number of brands on their marquee - more than 50 in all, it isn't difficult to believe. In addition to American Coach, there are six more Class A diesel brands, eleven Class A gassers, nine brands of mini-motor homes, eleven fifth wheel brands, five ultra-lites and four toy haulers. With respectable Class A coaches starting at $100,000 they are well positioned to service entry level users as well as those moving up from upscale fifth-wheel or Class Cs. Fleetwood came into being in 1950 with a line of travel trailers but dropped these fairly quickly when their focus shifted to manufactured housing. Surprisingly, it was not until 1964 that they turned again to recreational vehicles which have subsequently eclipsed their housing business and which, at the present time, is in a fairly sorry condition. Fleetwood employed around 11,500 people as of June 2006 and is quoted on the NYSE under the ticker FLE. Like Thor, its stock is currently just above its 52 week low.

Number three in sales volume is Monaco Coach Corporation with its subsidiaries Beaver, Holiday Rambler, McKenzie, Monaco Coach, Safari and R-Vision. Another public company on the NYSE with symbol MNC, Monaco Coach Corp., formed in 1993, is the successor to the original 1968 company and has had annual sales in recent years in the order of $1.3 billion. Currently, its stock is above its 52 week low but still 40% down on the 52 week high - what an opportunity! In addition to 37 motorized products the company produces 34 towable models and is also involved in the development and sale of luxury motor coach resorts. At the end of 2005, company-wide employment was a little over 6,000 full-time employees.

Coming in at number four, and one of the older companies in the industry, is Winnebago Industries, originally incorporated in Iowa in 1958. In common with the top three manufacturers, Winnebago is listed on the NYSE (WGO) and is currently 35% down on its 52 week high although it too, is 20% above its 52 week low with sales for 2007 at $870 million - down from 1.1 billion in 2004. Winnebago has restricted itself to entry level Class C vehicles through mid-range Class A coaches and has just two brands in its stable, Winnebago and Itasca, each of which are represented by a about a dozen vehicles identical between the brands with the exception of labels and paintwork. The company employed approximately 3,600 people in the fall of 2005.
The last, and the smallest of the big five, is privately held Country Coach, snatched from the impending train wreck that was National RV just one year ago, by founder and former Chairman Bob Lee along with a group of investors, for a mere $38 million or thereabouts. Starting life as Country Campers in 1973, a two man operation making slide-in campers, Country Coach renamed itself in 1987, five years after producing its first diesel powered Class A luxury coach. The company continued, in spite of its acquisition in 1996 by National RV and the concomitant quality and engineering lapses that persisted throughout their ownership, and today is estimated to enjoy annual sales in the range of $600-700 million as their 1,600 or so employees strive to rebuild their reputation. Part of this effort has been an extension of the product reach with the addition of a couple of lower end units, the Tribute and the Inspire, and an upscale unit, the Rhapsody, squeezed between the Affinity and the Prevost conversion.
The big five therefore, account for $7.5-8.0 billion of the approximately $9.0-9.5 billion industry total at the manufacturer level. Who has the other odd $1.5 billion? While there are several companies that appear to have carved out sustainable niches and at least one up-and-comer who could make the big time, there are as many as 100 lesser known recreational vehicle manufacturers scrapping over a billion dollars of sales. While this may sound dismissive of their efforts, profitable operation of even a $10 million business that toils to design, tool, manufacture, test, certify and market big ticket regulated items of this nature, is a tall order indeed.
As for the niche players, these include companies such as Marathon Coach, Newell and, marginalized as they have become, Foretravel. Marathon is by far the largest Prevost converter and, at about 75 units per year - several times the number of all other Prevost converters combined - may be around for a while. Newell functions as a high line coach boutique meeting the needs of that rare breed, the Newell owner - kind of incestuous but it has thus far worked for them! Foretravel might be hoping to head in a similar direction - their pricing is about right, just need some mystique and they will be all set.

The up-and-comer mentioned above is Tiffin Motorhomes. Started in 1972 by Bob Tiffin in Alabama, this company is developing the hallmarks of a serious Class A contender in medium and high line luxury coaches. As a private company, accurate financial and performance information is not readily available, but a reasonable estimate of their Class A volume might be 1,000 to 1,200 coaches per year with sales in the region of $150-175 million. Tiffin products seem to be well regarded both by the industry and by consumers and stories abound of Bob Tiffin's follow through in satisfying customers. A brand to watch.
Finally, there is The One that Got Away, National RV Holdings Inc. Founded in 1964, National RV began acquiring various disparate recreational vehicle manufacturers, not the least of whom was Country Coach in 1996. Other brands included Dolphin, Islander, Pacifica, Sea Breeze, Surf Side, Tradewinds and Tropi-Cal. During their peak years, 2004 and 2005, the National RV group produced nearly 3,000 units per year, but unfortunately were consistently in the red from about year 2000 on. After an accumulated loss of $80 million, the owners closed the facilities in November 2007 effectively terminating the seven brands and orphaning thousands of vehicles, none of which seem likely to be adopted by other investors.

Where are these RVs?The RVIA estimates that there are a record 8.2 million RVs are on the roads in the United States. Further, this number is projected to increase to 8.5 million by the end of 2010 even with 2008 shipments expected to be almost 5% down, year over year. However, the most interesting aspect of this 8 million RV estimate is that, by the RVIAs own figures, less than 7.5 million RVs have been produced in total over the last 29 years. If every single one of those 7.5 million are still on the road (making the average RV age around 15 years) there have to be another 700,000 units on the streets that are 30 or more years old! Amazing. My guess - the true number is significantly less than the industry likes to imagine.

What fuels optimism for the Industry?
Consolidation, shake-out, rationalization and retrenchment. First, consolidation. Like the automotive industry before it, the RV industry appears set to mature into a small number of billion dollar plus organizations with adequate resources to better navigate market fluctuations and perhaps even begin to manage the sales channel from the top down. Shake-out, a corollary of consolidation, will continue as major players gain clout over the dealer network, further crimping the market for fringe operators. The recent demise of National RV, unfortunate in the short term, will be beneficial in clearing the field a little for other contenders.
Rationalization flows from well executed consolidation. Consolidation for the sole purpose of getting bigger is not always a prudent strategy - Bendix, Teledyne and many other 20th century ego trips bear testament to that. Mergers and acquisitions executed with realistic synergies in mind are frequently successful and at least two of the big five appear to be pursuing such plans to good effect. Finally, retrenchment. After a furious, and often spurious, technological tour-de-force over the last eight years, during which dozens of scantily tested, not-ready-for-prime-time contrivances were foisted upon hapless coach owners, the industry seems to be entering a more conservative phase. After all the gee-whiz tank monitoring schemes, guess what? - we're right back to screws through the side of the tanks and a simple push-button indicator. Remember those witless LCD instrumentation displays that were unreadable between dawn and dusk? - gone, replaced by a brilliant new concept of needles pointing at numbers! Other long overdue, low-tech enhancements include a 1-1/2" fresh tank drain instead of that tiny 1/4" tease, an auto-fill system for fresh water maintenance, driver side memory seat and some built-in provision for winterizing. Best of all, most "New for 2009" lists are limited to just a few modest items, many of which sound like a way forward. Let's hope that this is the RV industry finally coming of age. Whadya think?

Tawdry Titusville, Kitschy Cocoa

Serendipity this week left us at The Great Outdoors - TGO as it is known by the inmates - near Titusville, Florida, where we continued our personal exposé of RV resort options. For those who remember the sixties English TV series named The Prisoner, starring Patrick McGoohan, there are eerie parallels between TGO and The Village where No. 6 was incarcerated. Overall impression? The most suitable, thus far, for our ill-defined requirements.
While scouting around for the necessities of life - Walmart, grocery stores, malls and the like - we ran the gamut of the offerings of Titusville and Cocoa. An unexpected bonus of our visit to the area, was the launch of the shuttle taking goodies to the international space station.

See Slideshow.

Titusville, population 40,000, is typical small-town Florida, wide four lane main drag, sand and weeds decorating every piece of bare ground, slow cycling traffic lights and an overall air of hapless dilapidation. Renamed from Sand Point in 1873 for Colonel Henry T. Titus, a confederate with an exceptionally questionable past, who had married money from Georgia, and who made the town his own. Titus laid out roads on land owned by his wife and, in 1870, erected The Titus House, a large 1-story hotel next to a saloon. He donated land for 4 churches and a courthouse, the latter in a successful effort to get the town designated as county seat. St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church, built in 1887 and added to National Register of Historic Places in 1972, is one of just a handful of items of historical interest in the area. Not much to look at, St. Gabriel's is kept securely locked.
A dozen miles south of Titusville is the town of Cocoa. Named either after the native Coco Plum tree or the label on a box of Baker's Cocoa - nobody seems to know for sure - Cocoa, along with Titusville, enjoyed rapid growth in the nineteen fifties and beyond when Cape Canaveral was selected for the US Space program. Although Cocoa is currently home to about 16,000 people it suffered, along with Titusville, from high unemployment and unsaleable homes as the space program wound down. A local initiative is Cocoa Village and the Diamond Square Development aimed at improving downtown property values. The outcome remains unclear except for a rash of kitschy stores along a short stretch of Brevard Avenue. If you have a few hours to spare, you could spend one of them here if you don't hurry.

Whale Baiting

"Why should the Japanese have all the fun" I mused, while reading about the imminent Japanese pursuit and slaughter of a thousand whales in the advancement of "scientific study". After a little thought, the solution came to me. The thrill of mammal taunting, no inclement weather, minimal danger and, best of all, no need to leave dry land - perfect! Where is this hunters Nirvana? At the nearest swimming pool. With a little container of fishy food and my trusty pith helmet, I set off. Past the rest rooms, through the picnic table jungle, sidled by the evil smelling barbecue and finally, skirting the shuffleboard courts, reached my goal.
As luck would have it, there was a solitary critter cavorting in the pool and I managed to capture a couple of snapshots of this saucy specimen. In an attempt to energize the old thing, I tried lobbing anchovies into the pool but, despite numerous heroic lunges, nary a one was caught.
As night fell and exhaustion set in, she finally beached herself at the shallow end and had to be revived with a large glass of Merlot.

What to do when you're down and out

If, figuratively speaking, you were a Father of the seventh smallest city of the 30th smallest state, a city that is home to a seriously ill-favored Civic Center, a city encircled by a magnificent beltway - a past political triumph that subsequently sucked almost every vestige of life out of downtown - a city where the closest Interstate from which to lure travelers dollars is more than 50 miles away, what could you conceivably do to rivet the world's attention on your burg and bring those tourist dollars pouring in? The answer shortly - first some more clues.
This particular municipality lies in the Wiregrass region of the south, an extensive region characterized by the absence of large cities and blighted with staggering humidity in the summer. With a romantic history of once having been noted for turpentine production, a brief flirtation with cotton and later with mules, it has to be a Herculean effort to reverse the hardship endemic to the area.
With every hallmark of similarly impoverished American cities - drive through booths for utility payment, tax-refund and paycheck-advance bandits on every corner, title pawn shops to spirit away folks automobiles and VCR repair shops, the most exercised establishments in town appear to be the DUI Remedial School and the Juvenile Court Services.
To make matters even worse, close by is the city of Bainbridge which has the honor of being the gnat capital of the world. This accolade has gained such notoriety that a documentary, scheduled to be aired in the spring of this year, is currently being made, setting the record straight on these little buggers. For more revelations on this corner of the country...

See Slideshow

Even though we much enjoyed our visit and the self guided walking tour, we continue to have difficulty in understanding how such flamboyant expenditure of tax dollars will significantly benefit the community. Guess that's why we're not in government.

2007 Reprise

Here are a few snapshots from various 2007 family get-togethers. All but one of the crew are here. By and large, not a bad year with everyone pretty much making the progress they had planned.

See Slideshow

All are looking forward to a Great 2008! We intend to start by quickly heading south and getting away from the snow. Best wishes to one and all.