RV Havin Fun!

Alafia River State Park, Lithia, Florida

Those who are wise (godly leaders of the resistance movement) will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered.  When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them.  Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time. ~ Daniel 11:33-35

1. 168BC – godly men headed by Mattathias ben Johanan and his sons, led a revolt against Antiochus IV Epiphanes and his Anti-Semitism
2. Mattathias was a Levitical priest
3. When ordered to sacrifice to the Greek gods, he refused and then killed the priest who agreed to such abominations.  He then attacked the official who ordered it
4. Mattathias fled to the wilderness of Judea with his 5 sons and many others eventually followed them
5. “Maccabeus” was a name use as an epithet (a word or phrase applied to a person or thing to describe an actual or attributable quality – such as Richard the Lion-Hearted for Richard I)  Maccabeus means “Hammer”
6. The Maccabean revolt is remembered by Jews as Hanukkah

This marks the end of your history lesson!  Are you glad?  These prophecies were so accurate that some believed this chapter to have been written around the time of Jesus and just inserted into Daniel.  Oh, ye of little faith!  I personally find Daniel’s Chapter 11 to be one of the most remarkable chapters in God’s Word (the prophecies concerning Jesus notwithstanding, of course).  How can we look at this and not believe?  How can we look at this and not anticipate the complete fulfilment of Revelation?  Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Our day began with a gorgeous morning!  Sunrise, fog, trees dripping with Spanish moss, a committee of vultures in the trees ahead of us, chirping osprey, squirrels scampering in the trees, and still one side-view-mirror-attacking male cardinal.  Persistent little bugger.

We visited the Florida State Fair today!

It took me a long time to get ready to go this morning.  There was all that hair to wet down and style, clothes that needed pressing due to being in summer storage, make-up and perfume to put on, etc.  When we’re just exercising out in nature, all I need is a scrunchie (if it’s gonna be warm) and something to keep the sun out of my eyes.  😊

The Fair only costs $10/person on Monday-Thursday and parking is free.  Everything else is free too, except food!  We took in quite a few shows today – everything from okay, to fun, to interesting, to excellent!  The weather was perfect.

With 19 shows to choose from, it was a little difficult – especially since some were playing at the same time as others.  But we made our choices and enjoyed our day.

We began with pig racing, mostly because it was the only show that was offered right after the gates opened at 11:00am.

We moved on to a petting zoo where the animals would only come near if they thought you had food with you,

Then off to the circus we went! 

At the end of the day, we agreed that the Hollywood Circus was the best show – even without Ringling, Barnum and Bailey.

After that, it was a quest to find lunch, and there was certainly no shortage of vendors!  More on food later.

We thought a show featuring carillon bells sounded interesting, so we went and waited around for it to begin.  What could’ve been a really nice music show, was overshadowed by the very loud music accompaniment he played.  We could hardly hear the bells.  And the noise started bothering us, so we left after just a few minutes.

More wandering around through the barns and exhibits, until it was time for the Flying Royals’ Spectacular show. 

The Royals’ once made an appearance on AGT, but it was pretty obvious why they didn’t get far in the show.  While they were good and their specialties were pretty amazing (can you twirl hula-hoops on your arms, hands, feet, torso and hair bun all at the same time? Or bend your body in extraordinary ways?  Or fly through the air with the greatest of ease?), their 360⁰ trapeze act was very slow-moving and unfortunately had several mistakes.

Our final show was the Cycle Circus, where three bicyclists and two motorcyclists wowed the crowd with their stunts.  They were pretty amazing? incredible? scary?

There was a designated place near where we’d come in called Cracker Country.  It was filled with a bunch of old buildings and set up like a small town.  There were docents stationed around to explain the ‘old ways’.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time to spend here.  We didn’t realize they’d only be open until 6pm and it was 5:30 when we arrived.  The first building we went into was an old train depot.  There was a gentleman sitting in their waiting for time to pass.  When he asked if he could answer any questions, I said, “Yes.  Why are you here?”  It provided an open door for him to launch into sharing every bit of his knowledge with us.  Very interesting, but it kept us from seeing everything else. We were happy to help him end his long day.  😊

And now the food.

Of course, we were careful to eat healthy!  After all, we began with apples, added half a potato, broccoli, then eggs and milk, and naturally, water to our fair diet for the day.  We’re so good!!

Yes.  I’m delusional.  But usually only when it comes to eating.

We were ready to leave and didn’t feel like more fair food for dinner, so instead, the recent ads we’d seen for Culver’s fish dinner called to us and we zombied over there.  We ended up taking two large pieces of fish home for sandwiches at a later date.

It will be fun to compare it to the Ohio State Fair which we’ll visit this summer, although Blaine says Ohio’s is much, much bigger.

Lake Louisa State Park, Clermont, Florida

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied:  “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it:  ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” ~ Matthew 22:36-39

It’s Valentine’s Day!  The day for love and romance, but have you ever wondered how it all began?  I discovered two different articles that compliment each other with details. I’m very sorry, but I don’t have the reference for the first one.  ☹

According to The New York Times, it’s possible that the holiday is based on a combination of two men. There were, after all, two Valentines executed on February 14 (albeit in different years) by Roman Emperor Claudius II in the 3rd century A.C.E., reports NPR. It’s believed that the Catholic Church may have established St. Valentine’s Day to honor these men, who they believed to be martyrs.

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Still others insist that it was Saint Valentine of Terni, a bishop, who was the true namesake of the holiday. He, too, was beheaded by Claudius II outside Rome.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl—possibly his jailor’s daughter—who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and—most importantly—romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France. ~ history.com

So we see that it’s thanks to two different martyrs of the Faith that we have cards and candy and flowers and a host of other things that cause people to spend an average of $100 per person to celebrate this great day.  How in the world it came to this, I cannot say . . . . 

It almost cost us missing out on dinner though.

Alafia River State Park, Lithia, Florida

Just so’s ya know . . . the locals pronounce it “AL-a-fi”. Why there’s an ‘a’ on the end, I have no clue. 😊

It was another short, uneventful 70-mile move today. That’s the way we like it.

We have a beautiful site!  There are a bevy of osprey nests, birds singing, grassy areas that surround us, distance between neighbors . . .

Sounds idyllic doesn’t it?

It was! 

Until a male cardinal decided to let us know his displeasure over this supplanter in his territory – – in no uncertain terms.  He repeatedly attacks our side mirrors, our Jeep fender . . . but to no avail.  We’re still here.  I feel kinda sorry for him because he’s been very persistent every day we’ve been here so far.

Since we moved today and it’s Valentine’s Day, Blaine took me to a local pizza joint (not too many celebrators there, you see, and we didn’t have to clean up much 😊)

The only problem was, he forgot his wallet.

That left us scrambling around in the Jeep for cash.  Fortunately, for whatever reason, Blaine likes to keep a bunch of quarters in his vehicles.  They paid for half our dinner.  Water and no leftovers, but the ‘works’ pizza at Fish hawk Pizza was most excellent!

Lake Louisa State Park, Clermont, Florida

His (Antiochus IV Epiphanes) armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice.  Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation.  With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant (apostate Jews), but the people who know their God will firmly resist Him (Maccabees, etc.) ~ Daniel 11:31-32

1. On Kislev (Nov-Dec) 25, 168BC, Epiphanes set up an altar to Zeus Olympius inside the Holy Temple of God on His altar of burnt offering.  This was the “abomination that causes desolation”
2. It is also a prefiguration of a similar abomination that Jesus announced would be erected (Mt 24:15)
3. Epiphanes also had the devout Jewish men butchered and their women and children sold into slavery
4. He made a royal decree proclaiming the abolition of the Jewish mode of worship – Sabbaths and festivals were not to be observed, circumcision was not to be performed, the sacred books were to be surrendered and the Jews were compelled to offer sacrifices to the idols that had been erected.  An inquisition was established with monthly sessions for investigation.  Breaking any of the royal laws regarding the Jewish faith was punishable by death
5. This was the beginning of the Maccabean revolt (the Jewish resistance mentioned at the end of verse 32)

If you’d like to know more about the Maccabees, you can go to

https://cdn.britannica.com/53/3353-050-94DC29A9/Palestine-Maccabean.jpg?w=300&h=300

We both spent over four hours in front of computer screens this morning!  Time to get out and burn some calories and breathe fresh air, some way, some how!

And we did!  We rode our bikes for miles and miles on asphalt-covered roads and trails that were made of sand and covered in grasses, or pine needles, or sometimes just packed or loose sand.  It was not an easy ride.  To get a pretty accurate description of our day, revert back to my post from February 9^th.  I’d probably write pretty much the same drama today as I did then. 😊

We saw lots of sunshine today, as well as a Ranger-guided horse tour. It was a pretty large group, so we had to wait quite a while alongside the trail as the horses and their riders ambled by.

All in all, it was a great ride!  Tomorrow, we move on.  Yes.  On Valentine’s Day. ♥