Wednesday May 1, 2013
Site 9, Grayton Beach State Park
Santa Rosa Beach, FL
Today is the day to go to Crestview.
It rains all night and is raining when we leave and rains nearly the entire day. That’s why we drive to Crestview to get the Florida Residence things finished.
But first, the donut review.
It seems I confused some people about the existence of a key lime/orange creamsicle donut. Sounds terrible to me but I clearly wasn’t careful enough in my wording. I bought 6 donuts, 2 key lime, 2 orange creamsicle, 1 raspberry and one chocolate glazed cake (David’s favorite). They didn’t have any coconut donuts or for sure I’d have had one. So David says they were excellent!! On a scale of 1-10 he gives them a 9 only because he’d give them a 10 if they were fresh out of the oven. I had a different opinion, but no one who knows us would be surprised at that. ;- ) I actually didn’t think any of them were over the top. They were good fresh donuts with filling inside. The raspberry tasted like jam, the key lime like pie filling and I’m not sure what I’d say the creamsicle tasted like. They were far far better than grocery store donuts.
David says we’ll stop at the Donut Hole on our way to Henderson Beach on Friday and try theirs. David will get another Key Lime to compare. Not sure what I’ll get, but I’ll let you know.
Back to Crestview and Florida State Residency.
It is an easy drive north and by 11:00 I have picked up my mail at my new address. How do you like my “apartment”??
Next step turns out to be amazingly easy.
Then it is off to the Okaloosa County Tax Collector to get the driver’s license and and new registration and title. Virginia has a DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) where you go in, take a number and spend the day waiting. But here, I go in, take a number and in less than 5 minutes I am called. Because I have all my ducks in a row (their forms filled out, title, driver’s license, birth certificate, social security care, proof of insurance in Florida) everything is all done with amazing speed and ease. Kudos to the young woman at the desk whose name I unfortunately forgot to get. She even registers me to vote. Now maybe I can make sure Florida gets its act together. :-)
It is a one stop shop and very efficient. Points for my new home state!
OK time to celebrate this milestone.
I have been a resident of Virginia since I graduated from college with a couple of short time outs for graduate schools. That’s a long time….but we won’t be too specific. So this change in residency is a big thing. It took a long time to decide to do it and then the research and now zip it’s done.
So to celebrate, we go out for lunch at Subway where we know we can get a great vegan Veggie Delite. But the real celebration is at Brusters where the young woman behind the counter says that sadly they don’t have JMC today but for sure she can make me a half gallon of Jamaican Me Crazy and I can pick it up on my way to Henderson Beach State Park on Friday. Second big score of the day!!
On our way home we swing by real downtown of Grayton Beach.
Love these signs. And the town welcoming committee.
We don’t have a dog but it looks like we’d fit right in since we are definitely pretty strange, each in our individual way. I think we would have to get a pair of beagles if we were to move here though.
No serious thoughts of that. We have too many places to see and experience.
Back home we put Ruby’s plates on. Winnona’s aren’t here yet. So she’ll have to wait. Since Florida only has a rear plate and Virginia has both front and rear, I now have a spot on the front of each vehicle for one of Winnona’s old tags RVDREAM. So now they will be a pair with RV Dream plates on the front and Florida Plates on the rear.
Since the license plate is QAK,
does that mean Ruby and I are honorary ducks??
Tomorrow is our last day here at Grayton Beach. The weather forecast is not looking good, more rain, but we are hoping to be able to either get out on the lake to kayak (not too likely) or at least take the dune trail hike.
And Happy May Day to You Too!!
Welcome to the Sunshine State!! We appreciate any help we can get in straightening out the voting here! In November's presidential election, our votes didn't even count...they couldn't determine which candidate had more votes. ugh BTW, did you know you can register to receive ballots in the mail so you can vote absentee...very convenient for us RVers!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the welcome. Not sure I'm equal to the tastk of the voting problems. But it was my one hesitation in moving my residency. I meant to ask about absentee and forgot to do it. I'll look on line and see if I can do it there. Thanks for the reminder.
DeleteYou can register on-line for absentee ballots. At least we could, back in the day.
DeleteThat's great news. I'm sure if they allowed it then, they allow it now but I haven't looked. Need to put it on my rainy day tastks.
DeleteHi, Sherry, I missed why you want Florida residency. My son moved to Tampa in the early 80s (with his job). He had to pay a huge impact fee to register his car. In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, it made more sense for him to sell his car and buy a new one. I wonder if that's an outdated fee/law?
ReplyDeleteI almost can't picture you anywhere that isn't near a beach! Do you miss Virginia at all? Your farmhouse is so cute. I may have missed things you've discussed when I was recuperating. I am curious enough about the impact fee that I'm goin gto look it up.
Hope the weather man is wrong about tomorrow and you get to kayak until your heart's content.
I think you did miss it Nancy but in sum it's all about taxes and campground fees. I do miss Virginia in the spring and fall so next year I hope to be somewhere for each season where I can see spring ephemerals and fall color change. It's pretty easy to go through Virginia once or twice a year on my way to Florida or back. :-) Thanks for your weather wishes. I second them.
DeleteCongrats on becoming a Florida resident. Our experience in Escambia County was similarly easy and everything was handled efficiently. Nice that you already had custom plates on Winnona that you can use as vanity plates for the two vehicles.
ReplyDeleteThank you Erin. I'm in good Full Timing company I know. Florida wanted a whole lot more for their vanity plates than Virginia did so this is working out very well for me. I'm actually surprised that so many people have a different plate on the front of their vehicle than on the rear in Florida but when in Rome............
DeleteWelcome to the land of NO INCOME TAX and Sunny Days and Unlimited Beaches. Get used to hanging chad comments when you travel out of state.
ReplyDeleteThis storm system is very large a may nix our park time tomorrow, I so want to ride coasters again.
Hanging chad comments when I'm out of state, nobody warned me about that. Thanks for the heads up. I'm just praying that my absentee ballot will get counted. I'm also trying not to think about those roller coasters of yours. :-)
Deletelol hanging chad and Jeb ... well I missed your reasons also ... but read your response to Nancy.
ReplyDeleteoh Brusters... sigh
check out their website Carolyn there may be one near you or you might want to take a road trip. If you like coconut make sure they have JMC before you go. :-)
ReplyDeleteThere was one about 10 minutes from my house... I go away and they're gone! Forget what's there now ...
DeleteI need no help whatsoever feeding my fat cells ice cream - blast my hide
Congrats on the painless process of becoming a Floridian. Hope you get a rain break. Those donuts just don't sound all that appealing, but the ice cream....
ReplyDeleteThanks Gaelyn. We think alike about those donuts and the ice cream. :-)
DeleteWell...Welcome to the neighborhood:o)) Easy Peezy to become a Floridian;o)) Certainly wish the Florida weather would return for you. We are having the same cool, rainy stuff here at Cheraw;o( QAK...hmmmmmm...did they see you coming or what!! LOL I'll bet duckies love that new plate!!
ReplyDeleteSo far no rain yet today. Fingers crossed for us and for you up there in Cheraw. The duckies do love the new plate and don't understand why they can't ride in their QAK mobile rather than Winnona. We have to wait to see if she'll be a QAKer too
DeleteI think the key, is going to a smaller city. It can still be crazy at the DMV in Tampa, which is why we got ours done in Dade City. Congratulations on becoming Florida residents. I know you'll appreciate that when you pay for camping at the state parks. I guess that means you're 65??
ReplyDeleteThanks Karen. Wish I could have done this sooner since I have had to make reservations for next winter already of course and I wasn't a resident then.
DeleteCongratulations! Sounds like you got excellent service and it pays to be organized. Welcome to the Sunshine State.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the welcome! I had no idea so many commenters were residents of Florida. It's so nice to be welcomed. We did get excellent service.
DeleteGlad to hear you've joined us as FL residents! Just curious if your vehicle insurance cost was much different.
ReplyDeleteAnother Florida resident. Great! My insurance on the car and motorhome are about $170 a year more but that pales beside the $800 a year savings in personal property tax.
DeleteWe live in a nice "apartment building" with nice maintenance staff. It may have taken us a few minutes longer at DMV in Tampa but I really like the fact that you can do everything at one place in Florida. NC is completely different since you have to go here, there and everywhere to get your stuff.
ReplyDeleteSyl
I didn't realize you were Tampa residents. I thought you lived in Crestview too. In fact, I thought you had an apartment in my building. Well darn! I won't run into you in the elevator.
DeleteQuite an accomplishment... changing residency. Big deal after so many years. Love the photo of the two of you on the beach... Probably the vehicles are far happier in Florida... no freezing weather and snow to contend with. Like me, they very well may prefer palm trees and sunshine. Good to see you both so happy and looking well. We are loving spring up her in Maryland..... we always do.
ReplyDeleteThanks Carol I thought Lisa did a nice job too. We are all much happier in Florida during the winter but miss those Mid-Atlantic Springs. Nothing like spring in Charlottesville for sure.
DeleteWe haven't seen the Red Bar. Don't know if we'll have time 'this time' but from the info on line it looks like a 'happenin' place'. Thanks for the suggestions. Really appreciate your giving me these ideas.
ReplyDeleteNo rain so far, we're heading out for the hike and we MAY get the kayak in yet.
Congrats on accomplishing the change in residency and ordering a1/2 gallon of custom-made JMC! I am jealous of your half-off state park fees. Hope you get to take advantage of this soon.
ReplyDeleteWell hilariously enough we did it at the end of this year's stay in Florida and of course I have already book nearly all of next year at the out of stater's rate. Not sure when we'll get to see some discounts here. But some.....day...... JMC tomorrow though!!
DeleteCongratulations on your new state! We also found it very easy to change states to FL. Henderson Beach is a great Park, but now it is only about 30 miles from the house, we do not go there much.
ReplyDeleteCongrats! Virginia will surely miss you, or at least your car tax dollars!
ReplyDeleteHow nice of that young lady to make a whole half gallon of JMC for you! Just try not to eat it all on the way home... ;c)
Congrats on your residency change! And nice of Brusters to welcome you to FL with some JMC.
ReplyDeleteYou look thrilled about the residency change :) 515 - QAK - that's a great plate - lol! I laughed a few times reading this blog. I enjoyed the signs and the nice picture of the Brusters girl - you could do commercials for them, I say! Now you're a Floridian - I know VA will miss you, just as I'm sure she misses me ;)
ReplyDelete