12/29 to 01/14 Lantana/Lake Worth

 

With some time on my hands here in Lantana (ha), I thought it a good time to mention some events that didn't make it into previous blog posts. 

This huge coconut was found washed along the shoreline of Lake Osborn behind my campsite when I camped at John Prince Campground back in December. Whether it was ready to be eaten remained to be seen.

The anatomy of a coconut

Back in West Palm, Giorgio hacked through the outer shell and husk...

...and Chuck drilled through to drain the coconut water and revealed the coconut flesh.

Along with that coconut, a slew of huge, empty snail shells caught my eye. I collected, rinsed them off and researched on Google.

Apple Snail shells.

I was impressed by the size and quantity that had washed up at the water's edge.

There are several species of the Apple Snail in Florida. The Island Apple Snail is the invasive species that should be eradicated because of its harmful effect on the aquatic ecosystems. 

The Channeled Apple Snail is one of the 100 of the World’s Worst Invasive Species

The egg mass of the invasive species can have up to 2000 eggs. Because they lay their eggs above water on plant stems, the easiest method of eradicating is to simply scrape of the mass into the water.

This is the egg mass of the native species; less eggs, white or salmon in color.

I soaked them in a vinegar-water solution to rid them of whatever.

While transporting, handling and washing these shells, I noticed their very unique glass-like clinking sound. I decided then that I would make a Shell Wind Chime.

I sorted them by size.

Poked a hole in each.

Used craft wire.

The project is not finished but don't cancel your subscription. The completed project will be featured in a future blog. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, I want to conclude this blog before leaving Lantana and heading back to West Palm for the remainder of the month. Friday, January 12th seemed more like a Friday, the 13th as dominoes began to fall.

Problem #1. The saga began last week when I lost power to what I thought was the passing storm. Instead, it turned out to be an old, faulty circuit breaker at the post. Nick, from the campground came by and replaced. We noticed however, that two prongs of my surge protector seemed to be damaged by heat. 

Not good.

A few emails to Progressive Industries' Customer Service, a photo of the damage and proof of purchase (I had the original invoice from seven years ago) resulted in a new one to be shipped to me here in West Palm. Yesterday, I lost power again and noticed the surge protector was functioning normally showing power to the source...but none getting to the coach. Circuit breaks both inside and out were tested and were okay. But, no power. Not good. As a last resort, I called Busy Bee Mobile Repair Service. If you remember from a prior blog, John came down to Delray Beach to fix my slide. Well, now I'm in the same campground where he lives and in a matter of minutes, he was at my door. After troubleshooting, he found the problem in the junction box in the RV.

John indicated that this was a gradual, months-long developing problem.

Problem fixed. Crisis averted. Thank you, John.

Problem #2. Went to prepare a pancake/bacon breakfast when I discovered no propane coming to the stove. Although the digital reading on my panel showed ¼ tank, I learned those reading are not to be trusted. I packed up, unhooked and drove about 3 miles to a filling station; it required 4 gallons of propane. Digital readout now reads Full and now I'm ready for a long awaited breakfast. Sorry, still no propane getting to stove. Contacted Winnebago and after troubleshooting (like am I able to run the propane generator? Answer: No), it's the regulator. So, while John was here fixing electrical, he'll research and see if he can tackle my next problem. Meanwhile, no cooking with gas.

And finally, though not really a Problem #3 for me, on the same day, Friday the 12th I noticed not one but FOUR Palm Beach County patrol cars parked across the road. As mentioned, not my problem but a maybe a biggie for the fella across the road.

For about ten minutes, they spoke directly with the fella inside who, from what I've observed lived alone in the RV. From the sign on his truck, he's a home improvement contractor. The fourth officer remained stationed between the vehicle and the RV and the fifth remained off to the right of the vehicle. 

After a general meeting, off they went as quietly as they came. Now...what kind of call would warrant a visit from four squad cars? Who called? Why? Answers I'll never know.

And that concludes my stay here at the Palm Beach Travelers Park. Thanks for joining me. The weather continues not to be beach-friendly but that's okay as I'm not the beach-friendly type. I'm looking forward to the change of scenery and activities for my final days here on the east coast of Florida. Stay happy, healthy and safe till next time.