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Blood, Sweat, and Fiends: A Fort Fourth!


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Maybe just a little. I need to set up another account just for TRs It may seem that way, but just because I was on the thread doesn't mean I was reading it. Nice detective work MD and nice job on the

Clairvoyance, it's a gift.

That’s the same expression I have on my face when starting a trip to the Fort. Enjoying the Trip Report. :)

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Love a MD report!! Actually, I love anything that involves beer and music. ;D

Josie is gorgeous!! You will enjoy a "camping" dog. We had English bulldogs, until we decided to get a dog better suited for the outdoors. If I could afford to have 10 Golden Retrievers, I would.

Looking forward to the rest of this report!! :jumpforjoy

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Looooooove Josie! She's a doll! We went through the same thing when we lost our Dotty. She was my heart, and we lost her just before she turned 12. I swore it would be a while before we got another dog. A few weeks later, Murphy joined our family. The hole Dot left was just too big, and it had to be filled in a bit.

Can't wait to read more!

Thanks. We just thought, even with 3 kids, it was too quiet. We're very happy. I've also been enjoying your Poly TR!

I'm in. Can't wait to see what all you guys did.

Excellent! Was great meeting you. I think my truck is in your film, as well as my voice yelling your name!

Love the picture of Josie. Glad to see you have a new member of the family.

We just bathed her and took her to town.

Love a MD report!! Actually, I love anything that involves beer and music. ;D

Josie is gorgeous!! You will enjoy a "camping" dog. We had English bulldogs, until we decided to get a dog better suited for the outdoors. If I could afford to have 10 Golden Retrievers, I would.

Looking forward to the rest of this report!! :jumpforjoy

I was hoping you'd join in! Welcome aboard!

Can't wait for this ride to start. Please keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times.

Next segment is almost done!

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fashionably late as always, but I'm in!! Can't wait to see how Josie enjoyed the fort, I haven't yet gotten up the nerve to take my two lab pups camping, they are such wreaking balls I can only imagine what they might do..

FDB-Fort Dog Brawl?

She's very social, but as I mentioned, she didn't make the trip, she had an infection, was laid up at the vets for 6 days.

The puppy backstory is excellent. I'm glad u hijacked your first post.

Almost as cool asthe backstory, is the font u used on your Metal dad stencil. Looks tough!

Thanks. My youngest requested I now refer to her as MetalDaughter.

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She's very social, but as I mentioned, she didn't make the trip, she had an infection, was laid up at the vets for 6 days.

Thanks. My youngest requested I now refer to her as MetalDaughter.

I was just joking, I can only imagine our dogs would act the equivalent of us....Since Judy starts all the trouble, I imagine her labs would scare ours followed shortly by the dog popo..... :rofl2:

So what is the shortened name of MetalDaugher? MDau?

:clint:

Do yall have the New Belgium beers down there? Tried the blue paddle? Not bad, refreshing pilsner.

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okay!!!! i'm here... let the tr continue. love josie! :heartsmiley: so, glad you found a match for your family. sorry about the loss of your other furbaby. i can't believe that little one didn't like to travel. my dogs go crazy if they even sense that we will be taking them with us. lol

okay--waiting.......

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Day One:

Music: Tears For Fears, Duran Duran, Black Sabbath

Drink: Diet Dr. Pepper

Smell: McGriddles and That new dog smell!

Final preparations.

July 3.

A trip to Walmart Neighborhood Market for a few last minute items, and off to Total Wine to stock the many fabled fridges and coolers of the MetalDad/BassMaster campsite.

If you’ve read any of my posts, you know that I recently got my “big black truck”, and if you read the intro, you know I now have a “big black dog”.

My 8yo son asks me to play “A National Acrobat” a song by Black Sabbath. So Annie, the 5yo reads the scrolling name on the radio, and starts a chant.

Big Black Truck, Big Black Dog, Big Black Sabbath.

Time to start packing the truck, and playing that game of “Do I Really Need To Bring This?”, meanwhile, across town, Ben is saying the same thing…and apparently the answer he got was YES, to pretty much everything…more on that later.

Now, we had seen photos of the golf cart parade, and had heard that the Halloween GC parade started at 4pm.

That would be perfect for us since we’re leaving early on the Fourth and should be there by lunchtime. Enough time to get set-up and get the cart and the kids decorated.

We went to Party City and bought all sorts of stuff to set-up the cart, and got a bunch of items to properly dress the kids patriotic regalia.

The oldest daughter, clocking in at 10yo, was going to wear her green dress and finish it off will all manner of other things needed to transform her into one stunning Statue of Liberty, complete with cardboard torch found in the Olympics section.

My son, 8yo, got the hat, tie, and phony facial hair to create a miniature mohawked Uncle Sam!

And the youngest, 5yo, was going to be a firecraker, all sparkly and topped off with red, white, and blue pigtails, picture a patriotic Boo from Monsters, Inc.

Now we’re ready to go! Check-in with the fiends in the chat before we turn in for the night…

Drag.

The GC parade starts at 9am. We’ll be just leaving the house at that time.

Oh well! We’ll make our own parade.

Packing, folding, stacking…2:30am. Yikes!

July 4.

Happy Birthday America!

Up and at it early. 4 hours sleep. Truck’s loaded, camper’s hitched, dog’s in the shop.

Check-in with Ben, he’s 15 minutes in front of us.

We stop for gas and McGriddles.

I snap a quick photo of MetalWife before I hand her the phone to capture images of our ride in.

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She takes good photos, just not with my camera phone. She acts like she’s trying to do surgery with frostbitten hands. I don’t get it!

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Here’s me!

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Next up, downtown Tampa. Why I’m not sure…but there’s photos, So, here they are!

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Right outside of Tampa is an RV dealer that years ago planted an Airstream Garden. It’s a tough shot but she gave it her best…

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Meanwhile, I’ve loaded up the player with a ton of 80’s music, so there we were, cruising up I-4, reviewing our youth through the likes of Tears for Fears and Duran Duran.

I set the cruise control at 59mph at exit 1, and never stepped on the brakes until the Disney exit, which is 62 or 64.

Best gas mileage I’ve had yet!

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The family was playing the usual car games, count the cows, punch buggy, Daddy, look at that big Fifth Wheel, and a new one… watch out for the cops.

It was 4th of July, we saw a total of 14 pulled-over in 2 hours, most I’ve ever seen!

The wife also led the kids through that big Rorschach Test in the sky, looking to see pictures in the clouds.

She tried desperately to get a shot of this, but the movement, trees, and natural morphing of the cloud changed before she could get the shot, but this, everyone agrees was “A Fat Baby Riding A Buffalo”

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Fantasy of Flight was next. They used to display this airplane nose down and had a mannequin hanging out of it, but there were too many 911 calls, so they set it upright.

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Then she took this photo. Thanks Honey!

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This one I think was to show we were getting closer!

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As is this one…

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This one is that cool detail on the power line, and a bunch of campers either leaving the Fort, or heading to their Fourth somewhere else. I love seeing campers on the road. Means there’s still people that enjoy simplicity and family.

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Here it is again, through the back window, and the top of Annie’s head.

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Finally hit the brakes… approaching Nirvana.

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Now it gets difficult because Ben starts calling to tell us we’re waiting for our site to be ready, and have to wait in overflow, and we’re trying not to be rude, but he’s calling on our camera, and we have shots required for the report!

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You may recall last time, in January, she hit the filter buttons by accident and snapped the black & white version, which I actually really dig. Here it is for your review…

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Inching closer…

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Closer…

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Closer… (in Hannibal Lechter voice, as he summons Clarice so he can smell her!). I’ve derailed.

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You know this is another mandatory shot…

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After the parking booth, and you stay to the right, the key is to follow the red stripe (Hooray Beer!) on the road. Here’s an attempt at the stripe. The road leads you to…

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I told you that the photos on this trip were absurd in both subject and composition. Next up, we arrive!

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I'm a "go with the flow, don't give a rats a$$" kinda person, but WHY................

did it have to be 80's music?!!? -_-

Yes, those were my formative years, and you would think I'd have liked it, but I hated it. Most of it was so queer (NOT homophobic slur, but "queer" as in odd & strange)

Other than that, nice update! ;D

Glad you made it, and hoping Ben's mustache is going to make an appearance.

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I'm a "go with the flow, don't give a rats a$$" kinda person, but WHY................

did it have to be 80's music?!!? -_-

Yes, those were my formative years, and you would think I'd have liked it, but I hated it. Most of it was so queer (NOT homophobic slur, but "queer" as in odd & strange)

Other than that, nice update! ;D

Glad you made it, and hoping Ben's mustache is going to make an appearance.

Oh c'mon Stef...there had to be SOME 80's music you liked. It was a great decade...Motley Crue or Metallica or anything?? Or Air Supply? :rofl2:

Yes, Ben's giant moustache will be along shortly!

But, c'mon Stef. Granted, there's a ton of cheddar music. BUT....Some of the world's greatest music came out in the 80's.

See! Dave finding his way into my corner with the metal! If it weren't for the 80's...

You wouldn't have this guy...

MetalDad.jpg

Morphing into this guy...

MetalDadnow.jpg

Hence...Metal Dad!

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I'm in! Your new puppy looks like a beautiful new fur baby!

Yes, those were my formative years, and you would think I'd have liked it, but I hated it. Most of it was so queer (NOT homophobic slur, but "queer" as in odd & strange)

Well... the eighties did give us Boy George and George Michaels... ;)

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