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Old 02-09-2014, 08:49 AM   #1
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Hi kids, we're new too---new snowbirds and new to rving

hellol, and I am so glad to have found you all!

I am susan and my dh and I have been living full time in our fifth wheel for a few months.
we cannot believe just how much we love it!
when we sold our farm in june we bought a camper to buy us time while we looked for another home.
turns out this lifestyle is too fun--I cant see us ever going back to a sticks and brick house.
we upgraded to an 01 carriage cameo, barely used and in excellent shape.

we're in central florida and intend to leave for texas in a few weeks to embark on a new adventure. gate guarding here we come!
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Old 02-09-2014, 09:00 AM   #2
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Right on! Texas is here for you with open arms
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Old 02-09-2014, 09:03 AM   #3
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when you leave florida, consider driving the coastline through Port St Joe, Panama City, Destin, Pensacola back up to I10 if you wanted a beautiful slow drive. From Panama City to Pensacola is beautiful, dotted with sleepiness. But research it, it might not be your bag.

Where are you headed to in Texas. I'm your welcoming committee, so ask me anything. I've lived here my whole life.
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Old 02-09-2014, 09:34 AM   #4
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Welcome to IRV2. Is Arizona next up after Texas? Alamo is your going to Texas next (groan!). You'll enjoy Texas even if it is small. (Compared to several provinces). I haven't lived in Texas my whole life.

Next upgrade: triple towing (Make it legal in all states with say 110ft max length)
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Old 02-09-2014, 11:00 AM   #5
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Howdy Susan and welcome to iRV2!
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Old 02-09-2014, 11:07 AM   #6
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Hello and welcome from Missouri
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Old 02-09-2014, 11:31 AM   #7
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Everyone must still be in bed or church or you would have received dozens of "Hello's" by now. Hello and welcome from Michigan!
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Old 02-09-2014, 11:38 AM   #8
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well thanks!
plasma you may regret that invitation---as I have lots of questions already!
i'm a new England girl through and through and must admit that the desert and it's critters kind of scare me!
i guess it's the unknown and learning new habits like how to keep scorpions out of my shoes, etc.
and buying thick hemp ropes to keep snakes out of the campsite!
i don't even know if that works or not---but i sure hope so!

however we expect that as long as the rv air conditioners can keep up and we don't run out of water we'll be just fine.

but i'm still worrying and can't wait at the same time, lol.
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Old 02-09-2014, 11:40 AM   #9
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Welcome, we went fulltiming in April 2012 and never looked back. We have our 21 lb cat and two birds with us. We have been so many places, all our friends are jealous. We have a 40 ft. diesel pusher, I need to have my own bathroom on the road, but I am sure your rig is lovely, so many things not to worry about anymore. Once we went our west, we lived for 35 yrs in florida, we love the west, especially ca. We are now in the ca desert, just and hour and a half east of palm springs and love it. We stay for 6 months in the winter and then travel in the summer. This years its Oregon, Washington, and the northern areas. We even have our own blog on google. It is joelandesta.blogspot.com click on hit n the road and see everywhere we are and have been. Good luck and happy travels to you.
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Old 02-09-2014, 11:48 AM   #10
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Hi and
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Old 02-09-2014, 11:55 AM   #11
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Old 02-09-2014, 12:00 PM   #12
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Enjoy your new lifestyle.
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Old 02-09-2014, 12:07 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by suse1023 View Post
well thanks!
plasma you may regret that invitation---as I have lots of questions already!
i'm a new England girl through and through and must admit that the desert and it's critters kind of scare me!
i guess it's the unknown and learning new habits like how to keep scorpions out of my shoes, etc.
and buying thick hemp ropes to keep snakes out of the campsite!
i don't even know if that works or not---but i sure hope so!

however we expect that as long as the rv air conditioners can keep up and we don't run out of water we'll be just fine.

but i'm still worrying and can't wait at the same time, lol.
LOL nahhhh, I can help in any way.

Generally speaking, Rattle Snakes, Moccasins, and copper heads are your only nervous snakes. Only two spiders to watch out, the Brown Recluse and the Black Widow, and Scorpions are very rare around here. It of course depends on what part of Texas you are in. All of them except the spiders are rare in suburban and occupied territory.

From there, just understanding the creatures habits is all you need to know.

Rattle snakes like dry, almost buried spots... so under logs, rocks, that sort of stuff, and you will KNOW he's the there long before you see him. Rattlesnakes don't exactly want to mess with you, they aren't aggressive til you get right up on them by pushing your luck. Once you hear that rattle, hopefully you've got about 10 feet between you and it. Just back up and your fine. The other two snakes hang out in creeks and grassy places, again, generally away from people. And copper heads have a look alike grass snake, they look almost the same but the bands are reversed.

Black widows are almost always outside, and almost always hidden deep underneath something... like an over turned flower pot that's been left alone for years, or an old log with a hollow spot. Just when you pick something up, inspect it first, you will positively know one when you see it, they really are very black, but only the female is a problem. Brown recluses, are exactly that, reclusive, they tend to like indoor, moist spaces that are quiet. Attics for example, occasionally we might find one in the shower.

In all honesty you're more likely to run into a gator in FL than any of those critters here If you get way out deep into west texas, just watch where you walk and don't move as fast as you can in uncharted, rocky areas.

Texas by the way, is HUGE. On the east side, it's more like florida and Louisiana. Piney, mucky, marshy, swampy, mosquitos. Past San Antonio and Austin, it goes from hilly scrub brush... to tumble weeds and sticker burrs.
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Old 02-09-2014, 12:23 PM   #14
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If you are truly in the wilderness, it's never a bad idea to shake them shoes before you put them on There are lots of other things you find in your shoes, like grass spiders and wolf spiders, both totally harmless but they will bite you if squished, leaving two mosquito bites on ya.

Keep them out of your RV with "Home Defense"
Ortho Home Defense Max 1 gal. Ready-To-Use Perimeter and Indoor Insect Killer-0195210 at The Home Depot

This stuff works like a champ around here on everything. Just spray the perimeter inside and out, and it keeps up for 6 months.

Something else.. the fire ants... those are the boogers to watch out for... don't let them get inside if you can help, and if you see any incredibly fast but small blackish ants (they mover very fast and are all over the place when they walk, like they are drunk) you better get a handle on those fast. google "crazy ants" or "rasberry ants" They don't cause YOU any grief, but they are hard to get rid of!

Here's a spider reference

Spiders of Texas

All of them harmless except the ones I mentioned.

Also, if you're near oak trees, and walking at night, think twice as you walk under the oak trees or carry a flashlight and go slow. The orbweavers do something amazing! As dusk falls, they build a massive web from tree limbs to the ground, and they chill right in the center. They are easy to spot if you know they night be there. Running into isn't a problem, it's just an icky feeling, plus orbweavers eat a lot of mosquito population, so we all want to keep their numbers healthy. Matter of fact, all spiders are good.

When we get a big wolf spider in our house, we don't kill it, we place it back outside so it can do it's work.

Another texas thing to look out for. Red Wasps, Yellow Jackets and Hornets. The Red Wasps are pretty harmless, but they grow nests in anything that hangs, including your dryer vent. We usually just knock them down by hand and the red guys zip off to elsewhere, but they have a tendancy to come back to the spot they were knocked from, so spray the are where the nest was. Their mission in life is to eat things about of the grass, so you will commonly find them hovering over thick grass, and they are not that aggressive, they never bother us much even if they get close.

Yellow jackets get irritated easily, so leave them be unless you are going to spray them where they lie.

Hornets are the size of hummingbirds, and you hear them before you see them. They nest high in trees, so unlikely you will see one.

If you run across a bee hive, LEAVE IT ALONE and move away. DO NOT agitate the bee's. They've eaten one too many Jalapeno's, and they might just kill you for disturbing them. We are quite infested with africanized bees, and you cannot tell them apart from honey bees until they are all over you.

Several times a year someone is killed or very seriously injured by these bees. Dogs, Cats, even frogs.

'Killer bees' leave Texas man dead, woman in serious condition - U.S. News

The most common place outdoors will be for them to build a hive either in a woodpile, a tree hole, or along the length of a branch.
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