Sunday, Dec 31 ... Happy New Years Eve! Today we drove to Miami to visit Hector and Georgie and go to their New Years Eve party. They have an apartment on the 33rd floor overlooking the beautiful Biscayne Bay. The night time view of the city was spectacular. They took us for a drive across the causeway to South Beach to see some sites. We had the privilege of visiting with Hectors’ parents whom we had not seen since 1993. We also met several of their friends and family who stopped by and of course, everyone brought food. Without a doubt, it was one of the best New Years eve parties we ever attended. At midnight we watched the obligatory ball drop from New York Times Square.
Saturday, Dec 30 … Awakened yet again at 5:00 a.m. and again around 6:00 a.m. by the airboats the duck hunters use to travel on Lake Okeechobee to their duck blinds. The boats are powered by aircraft engines and propeller and are extremely loud. Everyone on the flat bottom boat wear ear protection from the noise. I’m told duck season last until Jan 28th. We leave on Jan 3rd, thankfully.
Friday, Dec 29 … Warmer yet and sunny for wash day. Rode bikes and in the afternoon, went to the pool for some rays.
Thursday, Dec 28 … Not as cool this morning…daytime temp got to about a perfect 75. A friend if ours from old Continental days, Hector and Georgie visited for dinner. We had a good time visiting.
Wednesday, Dec 27 … A cold day for Florida; high temp only about 65 for the day after a morning of 46.
Tuesday, Dec 26 … This morning we drove the 70 miles into the Fort Myers area. We drove to our next rv park to take a look at what to expect when we arrive on Jan 3rd. It’s ok but nothing special. The sites are close together and there’re a lot of park models. But on a positive note, most have concrete patios and some shade. We then went to a theater and saw the movie The Nativity Story. The acting was excellent; a well done movie that all people should see. We also went to a Camping World store and, of course, spent some money on camping/rving stuff that we “needed”. Before we headed back home, we had a good dinner at a Cracker Barrel restaurant.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Monday, December 25, 2006
Merry Christmas from Moore Haven, FL
Monday, Dec 25 … Merry Christmas to all!! Another warm and humid day but thunderstorms and cooler weather expected this afternoon. We’ll attend a pot-luck lunch/dinner at the clubhouse this afternoon. Missing family!
Sunday, Dec 24 … A warm and humid Christmas Eve in south Florida. We went to breakfast at the clubhouse at the rv park. Later went on a bike ride and got rained on. Dixie prepared a wonderful dinner of Cornish hens with all the trimmings. After dinner we attended a candlelight service at a Methodist church in Moore Haven. It was a good service with more than 150 people in attendance. When we got home we opened the couple of presents we had under our tree.
Saturday, Dec 23 … At about 7:00a.m. we were awakened to a heavy downpour. The remainder of the day was great....sunny and warm. We even went to the pool for a couple of hours. Took a long walk on the dike later.
Friday, Dec 22 … Drove to Clewiston for Dixie’s Chiropractor appointment. Later we shopped at the local Walmart…what fun. We drove to the “sister” park Robin’s Nest, to pick up our mail. After dinner we walked to the clubhouse where a band was playing. It was more of a jam session than anything else.
Sunday, Dec 24 … A warm and humid Christmas Eve in south Florida. We went to breakfast at the clubhouse at the rv park. Later went on a bike ride and got rained on. Dixie prepared a wonderful dinner of Cornish hens with all the trimmings. After dinner we attended a candlelight service at a Methodist church in Moore Haven. It was a good service with more than 150 people in attendance. When we got home we opened the couple of presents we had under our tree.
Saturday, Dec 23 … At about 7:00a.m. we were awakened to a heavy downpour. The remainder of the day was great....sunny and warm. We even went to the pool for a couple of hours. Took a long walk on the dike later.
Friday, Dec 22 … Drove to Clewiston for Dixie’s Chiropractor appointment. Later we shopped at the local Walmart…what fun. We drove to the “sister” park Robin’s Nest, to pick up our mail. After dinner we walked to the clubhouse where a band was playing. It was more of a jam session than anything else.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Alligators, Alligators, Alligators!
Thursday, Dec 21 ... Our internet signal in this area is very sporadic (today it is non-existent) so we are at the local library right now checking email and doing the blog. It could be a looooong 2 weeks. Flights are full everywhere so it looks like we will be staying put for the holidays!
Wednesday, Dec 20 … Another move day - destination Moore Haven which is about half way between West Palm Beach and Fort Myers. The park is nothing special but our site does have a view of the canal (Okeechobee Waterway). Our site is on Alligator Lane - hoepfully that doesn't mean we will see any!
Tuesday, Dec 19 … The morning was spent doing laundry and cleaning the exterior of the mh. In the afternoon we did some exploring of the area shopping. Later, we used a Tony Roma’s gift card given to us last Christmas from Dixie’s brother and wife. The rib dinner was awesome so we topped it off with a dessert of a chocolate sundae martini.
Monday, Dec 18 … Today was the day for National Parks. The first one being the Florida Everglades National Park. We walked the Anhinga Trail which is a ½ mile loop trail and offers one of the best opportunities to view wildlife. We saw probably 20 - 25 alligators and many birds up close… I mean very up close. Most of the gators were out of the water and looked to be from 4 to 8 feet in length.
From there we drove to the Biscayne National Park. The park is located 21 miles east of Everglades National Park and was established to protect a rare combination of terrestrial and undersea life, to preserve a scenic subtropical setting, and to provide an outstanding spot for recreation and relaxation. The park Ranger was quite knowledgeable and spent quite a bit of his time explaining many details of the park.
Sunday, Dec 17 … Left the Curry Hammock State Park and drove to the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo. We toured the park (talked to a man we had met earlier while in Port St. Lucie) and the impressive visitor’s center. This park has been dubbed America’s First Undersea Park. This park and the adjacent Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, cover approximately 25 miles in length and extends 3 miles into the Atlantic Ocean. These areas were established to protect and preserve a portion of the only living coral reef in the continental U.S. We decided to forgo snorkeling as the wind was blowing and the water was a bit chilly. We continued our short drive (45 miles) to the Larry and Penny Thompson Memorial Camp ground in South Miami. A large but well kept RV park that is far enough removed from the city to be a quiet place.
Wednesday, Dec 20 … Another move day - destination Moore Haven which is about half way between West Palm Beach and Fort Myers. The park is nothing special but our site does have a view of the canal (Okeechobee Waterway). Our site is on Alligator Lane - hoepfully that doesn't mean we will see any!
Tuesday, Dec 19 … The morning was spent doing laundry and cleaning the exterior of the mh. In the afternoon we did some exploring of the area shopping. Later, we used a Tony Roma’s gift card given to us last Christmas from Dixie’s brother and wife. The rib dinner was awesome so we topped it off with a dessert of a chocolate sundae martini.
Monday, Dec 18 … Today was the day for National Parks. The first one being the Florida Everglades National Park. We walked the Anhinga Trail which is a ½ mile loop trail and offers one of the best opportunities to view wildlife. We saw probably 20 - 25 alligators and many birds up close… I mean very up close. Most of the gators were out of the water and looked to be from 4 to 8 feet in length.
From there we drove to the Biscayne National Park. The park is located 21 miles east of Everglades National Park and was established to protect a rare combination of terrestrial and undersea life, to preserve a scenic subtropical setting, and to provide an outstanding spot for recreation and relaxation. The park Ranger was quite knowledgeable and spent quite a bit of his time explaining many details of the park.
Sunday, Dec 17 … Left the Curry Hammock State Park and drove to the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo. We toured the park (talked to a man we had met earlier while in Port St. Lucie) and the impressive visitor’s center. This park has been dubbed America’s First Undersea Park. This park and the adjacent Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, cover approximately 25 miles in length and extends 3 miles into the Atlantic Ocean. These areas were established to protect and preserve a portion of the only living coral reef in the continental U.S. We decided to forgo snorkeling as the wind was blowing and the water was a bit chilly. We continued our short drive (45 miles) to the Larry and Penny Thompson Memorial Camp ground in South Miami. A large but well kept RV park that is far enough removed from the city to be a quiet place.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Week Two in the Keys
Saturday, Dec 16 … A light rain has been falling most of the morning. This morning stopped at the garden club display of Florida Keys Christmas trees. There were some really unique trees all with a water or Florida flavor to them. Tomorrow is a move day - South Miami Heights!
Friday, Dec 15 … At about 1:00 a.m. was awakened by heavy rain. About 1:30 p.m. we rode the bikes into Key Colony Beach to the Sunset Park. We ogled over many of the awesome homes on the shore in this area. When we got back to the mh we had been gone for almost 1hr 45mins and had ridden for approximately 10 miles.
Thursday, Dec 14 … Took a long walk/jog in the morning. Had to find the town laundry in the afternoon as there is not one in the state park. In the evening, we went back to Sparky’s Landing and had happy hour shrimp, wings and draft beer. This time the weather permitted us to sit outside on the patio overlooking the canal. The waitress said it was ok to throw our shrimp peels into the water. We did and watched the fish swarm after them. We drove around & viewed the Christmas lights.
Wednesday, Dec 13 … As our morning exercise, we rode our bikes the 3.5 miles on the Overseas Highway to the Dolphin Research Center located in the small town of Grassy Key. We decided to come back after our bike ride. Later, we spent about 4 hours at the facility and thoroughly enjoyed it. The Dolphin Research center is where the 50's movie, Flipper was filmed -we saw 2 of the Flipper dolphin decendents. It is a not-for-profit organization with goals to promote peaceful coexistence, cooperation and communication between marine mammals and humans and the environment we share through research and education. There are 19 Bottlenose Dolphins here and to see them up close and witness some the things these animals are trained to do was truly amazing. We watched them take a brush in their mouth and “paint” a t-shirt. They did out-of-the-water jumps, wave to the crowd, “talk” to the trainer, “walk” on water, surf and more. On this day, they had a newborn calf that was born earlier this morning. We watched as it swam & was nursed by its’ mother. The adults weighed from 400 to almost 600 pounds. Even though they normally live into their 30’s, the oldest, Theresa, is estimated to be over 50 years old. She has been at the research center since 1968 and was with the U. S. Navy for several years prior to that. All in all it was right up there with one of ‘the neatest places we’ve been’.
Tuesday, Dec 12 … Another cloudy day but not much wind to speak of so we decided to rent a kayak from the Ranger at the park. At one point, while in clear water only about 18 inches deep, we spotted a sting ray that appeared to be about 12 inches in width with a stinger of about 6 to 8 inches long. We also saw some pelicans perched on a post while quietly gliding through the smooth water of one of the side canals. Boy are they an odd looking bird.
Monday, Dec 11 … Took a drive into Marathon to do some errands. Biked in the afternoon & then sat outside and read and enjoyed the great view.
Sunday, Dec 10 … We did a bike ride of about 4 miles. When we returned to the park, it was time to move from our current site to another so we could stay another week at this lovely park on the Atlantic Ocean side of the Keys. We pulled in forward at this site so we could look out our front window & see the water -another beautiful view for another week. After we got set up, a motorhome (& 1 tent) with 4 adults and 6 kids parked in the site next to us. They speak French - we think they are from Canada but not sure as they speak very little English. We watched several 'kite surfers' on the water - it's like wind surfing but they are attached to a large kite. They even jump off the water & sail (looks like fun but alot of work). Later , we drove the short distance to Key Colony Beach for a lighted boat parade on one of the several canals in town. It consisted of a dozen or so lighted and decorated boats. Some even had live music on board.
Friday, Dec 15 … At about 1:00 a.m. was awakened by heavy rain. About 1:30 p.m. we rode the bikes into Key Colony Beach to the Sunset Park. We ogled over many of the awesome homes on the shore in this area. When we got back to the mh we had been gone for almost 1hr 45mins and had ridden for approximately 10 miles.
Thursday, Dec 14 … Took a long walk/jog in the morning. Had to find the town laundry in the afternoon as there is not one in the state park. In the evening, we went back to Sparky’s Landing and had happy hour shrimp, wings and draft beer. This time the weather permitted us to sit outside on the patio overlooking the canal. The waitress said it was ok to throw our shrimp peels into the water. We did and watched the fish swarm after them. We drove around & viewed the Christmas lights.
Wednesday, Dec 13 … As our morning exercise, we rode our bikes the 3.5 miles on the Overseas Highway to the Dolphin Research Center located in the small town of Grassy Key. We decided to come back after our bike ride. Later, we spent about 4 hours at the facility and thoroughly enjoyed it. The Dolphin Research center is where the 50's movie, Flipper was filmed -we saw 2 of the Flipper dolphin decendents. It is a not-for-profit organization with goals to promote peaceful coexistence, cooperation and communication between marine mammals and humans and the environment we share through research and education. There are 19 Bottlenose Dolphins here and to see them up close and witness some the things these animals are trained to do was truly amazing. We watched them take a brush in their mouth and “paint” a t-shirt. They did out-of-the-water jumps, wave to the crowd, “talk” to the trainer, “walk” on water, surf and more. On this day, they had a newborn calf that was born earlier this morning. We watched as it swam & was nursed by its’ mother. The adults weighed from 400 to almost 600 pounds. Even though they normally live into their 30’s, the oldest, Theresa, is estimated to be over 50 years old. She has been at the research center since 1968 and was with the U. S. Navy for several years prior to that. All in all it was right up there with one of ‘the neatest places we’ve been’.
Tuesday, Dec 12 … Another cloudy day but not much wind to speak of so we decided to rent a kayak from the Ranger at the park. At one point, while in clear water only about 18 inches deep, we spotted a sting ray that appeared to be about 12 inches in width with a stinger of about 6 to 8 inches long. We also saw some pelicans perched on a post while quietly gliding through the smooth water of one of the side canals. Boy are they an odd looking bird.
Monday, Dec 11 … Took a drive into Marathon to do some errands. Biked in the afternoon & then sat outside and read and enjoyed the great view.
Sunday, Dec 10 … We did a bike ride of about 4 miles. When we returned to the park, it was time to move from our current site to another so we could stay another week at this lovely park on the Atlantic Ocean side of the Keys. We pulled in forward at this site so we could look out our front window & see the water -another beautiful view for another week. After we got set up, a motorhome (& 1 tent) with 4 adults and 6 kids parked in the site next to us. They speak French - we think they are from Canada but not sure as they speak very little English. We watched several 'kite surfers' on the water - it's like wind surfing but they are attached to a large kite. They even jump off the water & sail (looks like fun but alot of work). Later , we drove the short distance to Key Colony Beach for a lighted boat parade on one of the several canals in town. It consisted of a dozen or so lighted and decorated boats. Some even had live music on board.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
The Florida Keys - week one
Saturday, Dec 9 … Yet another cloudy, windy day in the Florida Keys. We contracted for sun each and every day.but we got shorted a few days! Tomorrow we have to move to another site in the park as we couldn't get 2 weeks at our current site. Well, we thought we stayed away from the Poisonwood trees while we were hiking however....Mike started to get itchy red bumps the next day and Dixie started the next day! Guess we need to stay out of the forest!!! So far it's not as bad a the poison oak Dixie got before.
Friday, Dec 8 … We got up early and began our trek to Key West around 8:00 a.m. The day was cloudy and cool with a stiff wind blowing. We had online tickets for the trolley tour and boarded at 9:30. The trolley made a couple of stops but we got off near the cruise ship terminal on Duval street. At the department store Fast Buck Freddie’s, we met up with our friend Hector who at one time worked for Continental Airlines, and his friend George. They were on a cruise ship that had docked at 7:00 a.m. We had a great time visiting over lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch we continued the trolley tour which included the Southern Most Point in the Continental U. S., (35 miles farther south than Brownsville, TX) the Hemmingway house and the Truman Little White House. On the way home we stopped in Key Colony Beach for happy hour at the Deep Blue restaurant where we ate peeled shrimp and chicken wings. We ate inside because the wind is still a stiff one.
Thursday, Dec 7 … We drove to the post office in the a.m. and saw that the park flags were at half mast. Then it occurred to us that today was Pearl Harbor Day, the “day that will live in infamy”. Later that morning, we packed a lunch and rode the bikes east on the bike trail from the park. Had lunch on the banks of a small, what could be described as a lagoon. Then we rode west, past the park entrance, to the outskirts of Marathon (Key Colony Beach). Of course, we stopped in a couple of gift shops as well as ogled at the boats along a canal. We want to go back on Sunday evening for the Christmas boat parade.
Wednesday, Dec 6 … With a slight breeze blowing and temps in the mid-70’s, we got the hiking gear out and Dixie fixed lunches for a hike to the Gulf side of the park. The walk consisted of about 1 mile on a hike/bike path then another ¾ of a mile into the gorgeous bay overlook in the Gulf of Mexico. The terrain was very tropical with many varieties of plants including the poison wood tree that we were told is very toxic to the skin if contacted. We made sure we stayed well away from it. There was also a lot of coral reef rock from some 20,000 years ago. The total hike was approximately 3.5 miles in length. Although it’s not all that noticeable, on October 24, 2005, hurricane Wilma, with winds of 110 mph, passed just north of this area causing a great deal of flooding and damage to the forest.
Tuesday, Dec 5 … A windy day with the temp only going to be about 75. We’re driving to Marathon to shop for ink refills for the printer. Went to a very cluttered Kmart store (no Walmart in the area) but didn’t find what we needed. Dixie needs to complete our Christmas card/newsletter. Ended up, as usual, at a grocery store; Publix this time.
Monday, Dec 4 … This morning about 9:00 we rode the bikes -on the bike trail- to Marathon which was about 3.5 miles one way. Also visited the Visitor’s Center and picked up several brochures and information about the area including Key West where we’ll drive to on Friday.
Sunday, Dec 3 … Blast off to the Florida Keys and the Curry Hammock State Park near Marathon, FL. The 180 mile trip went well. We stopped for fuel at a Valero station and lunch at a Walmart in Florida City. We’ve been to a lot of different Walmart stores over the country but we have never seen one busier than this one. We were lucky to find a place in the large parking lot to park the motor home. Of course, we had to venture inside to purchase a few things. Fortunately, they had many checkers and we didn’t have to wait long to check-out. Always like to use Walmarts’ not only for their great prices but when using the debit card, can get up to $100 cash back at check-out. We arrived at the state park at about 2:30p.m. Our site is facing the Atlantic ocean about 40 yards from the water. Absolutely beautiful!! Temp about 80 so we sat on the beach for awhile. Later, we took our beverage and watched a wonderful sunset.
Friday, Dec 8 … We got up early and began our trek to Key West around 8:00 a.m. The day was cloudy and cool with a stiff wind blowing. We had online tickets for the trolley tour and boarded at 9:30. The trolley made a couple of stops but we got off near the cruise ship terminal on Duval street. At the department store Fast Buck Freddie’s, we met up with our friend Hector who at one time worked for Continental Airlines, and his friend George. They were on a cruise ship that had docked at 7:00 a.m. We had a great time visiting over lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch we continued the trolley tour which included the Southern Most Point in the Continental U. S., (35 miles farther south than Brownsville, TX) the Hemmingway house and the Truman Little White House. On the way home we stopped in Key Colony Beach for happy hour at the Deep Blue restaurant where we ate peeled shrimp and chicken wings. We ate inside because the wind is still a stiff one.
Thursday, Dec 7 … We drove to the post office in the a.m. and saw that the park flags were at half mast. Then it occurred to us that today was Pearl Harbor Day, the “day that will live in infamy”. Later that morning, we packed a lunch and rode the bikes east on the bike trail from the park. Had lunch on the banks of a small, what could be described as a lagoon. Then we rode west, past the park entrance, to the outskirts of Marathon (Key Colony Beach). Of course, we stopped in a couple of gift shops as well as ogled at the boats along a canal. We want to go back on Sunday evening for the Christmas boat parade.
Wednesday, Dec 6 … With a slight breeze blowing and temps in the mid-70’s, we got the hiking gear out and Dixie fixed lunches for a hike to the Gulf side of the park. The walk consisted of about 1 mile on a hike/bike path then another ¾ of a mile into the gorgeous bay overlook in the Gulf of Mexico. The terrain was very tropical with many varieties of plants including the poison wood tree that we were told is very toxic to the skin if contacted. We made sure we stayed well away from it. There was also a lot of coral reef rock from some 20,000 years ago. The total hike was approximately 3.5 miles in length. Although it’s not all that noticeable, on October 24, 2005, hurricane Wilma, with winds of 110 mph, passed just north of this area causing a great deal of flooding and damage to the forest.
Tuesday, Dec 5 … A windy day with the temp only going to be about 75. We’re driving to Marathon to shop for ink refills for the printer. Went to a very cluttered Kmart store (no Walmart in the area) but didn’t find what we needed. Dixie needs to complete our Christmas card/newsletter. Ended up, as usual, at a grocery store; Publix this time.
Monday, Dec 4 … This morning about 9:00 we rode the bikes -on the bike trail- to Marathon which was about 3.5 miles one way. Also visited the Visitor’s Center and picked up several brochures and information about the area including Key West where we’ll drive to on Friday.
Sunday, Dec 3 … Blast off to the Florida Keys and the Curry Hammock State Park near Marathon, FL. The 180 mile trip went well. We stopped for fuel at a Valero station and lunch at a Walmart in Florida City. We’ve been to a lot of different Walmart stores over the country but we have never seen one busier than this one. We were lucky to find a place in the large parking lot to park the motor home. Of course, we had to venture inside to purchase a few things. Fortunately, they had many checkers and we didn’t have to wait long to check-out. Always like to use Walmarts’ not only for their great prices but when using the debit card, can get up to $100 cash back at check-out. We arrived at the state park at about 2:30p.m. Our site is facing the Atlantic ocean about 40 yards from the water. Absolutely beautiful!! Temp about 80 so we sat on the beach for awhile. Later, we took our beverage and watched a wonderful sunset.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
South Central Florida - Clewiston -"the Sweetest Town in America" (sugar cane fields everywhere)
Saturday, Dec 2 … Another laundry day. The we took a drive into town to find someone who could (would) fax our request for distant network service to DirecTV. Back home we went to the pool for awhile even though it‘s a warm, partially sunny day. We used the hot tub for awhile; also talked to an interesting couple from Maine who have been members at this park for ten years. They told us about some of the storm damage that occurred last year during the Florida Hurricanes. Tomorrow we are on the road again....185 miles to the next stop in the Florida Keys.
Friday, Dec 1 … It’s going to be a warm one today. We went for a walk early. Dixie had another Chiropractor appointment and we need to do some Walmart shopping for Christmas. The DIRECTV installer arrived at about 5:00p.m. and didn’t finish until almost 8:00p.m. He had difficulty in getting our King Dome system to locate the DIRECTV satellite.
Thursday, Nov 30 … On a partly sunny, windy day with temps in the upper 70’s, we decided to take a bike ride over to the lake. We rode west from a parking lot near the Hoover Dike. The paved trail is on top of the dike so we rode west -with the wind- for about 2.5 miles. The return against a stiff east wind trip was considerably more difficult. We made several rest stops along the way. The canal was just below us but the lake was barely visible probably a half a mile away. The land between the canal and the lake is very marshy. When we got back to the park, we estimated we rode approximately 7 or 8 miles. Needless to say, we were very tired and hot.
Wednesday, Nov 29 … Another trip to the Chiropractor for Dixie. She’s still trying to get some relief from the numbness in her fingers. I spent the morning attempting to contact DIRECTV. We’re making the change from Dish Network because they have been ordered to discontinue the distant network channel service. DIRECTV can still offer it. We need this service since we travel, otherwise, we would not get any network programming. It’s been a cloudy, cool kind of day so Mike did some mh cleaning.
Tuesday, Nov 28 … Dixie did some laundry while I did some things around the mh in the a.m. We went to the pool and hot tub in the afternoon. The weather was warm and sunny.
Monday, Nov 27 … Dixie had a Chiropractor appointment at 10:30. After lunch we drove to Moore Haven to scope out the RV park we’ll go to on Dec 20th. Again, nothing to write home about but at least it’s on some water…a canal. Not much to do in central Florida. Lake Okeechobee is difficult to get to even though we‘re only about one mile from it. The land is extremely marshy and the lake, at least so far, is not accessible.
Sunday, Nov 26 … Traveled the 78 miles to Clewiston, FL. We arrived at a park that is just so-so. They assigned us to a space that is near the highway 27 we came in on. It’s noisy. There are many vacant spaces in this park, several around the small lake but we get assign next to the highway. We were scheduled to be here for two weeks but after seeing the park, decided to leave after one week. We made reservations to check in a week early at Curry Hammock State Park near Marathon in the Keys. We’ll be there for two weeks. A bit expensive but what the heck … we’re livin’ the dream.
Friday, Dec 1 … It’s going to be a warm one today. We went for a walk early. Dixie had another Chiropractor appointment and we need to do some Walmart shopping for Christmas. The DIRECTV installer arrived at about 5:00p.m. and didn’t finish until almost 8:00p.m. He had difficulty in getting our King Dome system to locate the DIRECTV satellite.
Thursday, Nov 30 … On a partly sunny, windy day with temps in the upper 70’s, we decided to take a bike ride over to the lake. We rode west from a parking lot near the Hoover Dike. The paved trail is on top of the dike so we rode west -with the wind- for about 2.5 miles. The return against a stiff east wind trip was considerably more difficult. We made several rest stops along the way. The canal was just below us but the lake was barely visible probably a half a mile away. The land between the canal and the lake is very marshy. When we got back to the park, we estimated we rode approximately 7 or 8 miles. Needless to say, we were very tired and hot.
Wednesday, Nov 29 … Another trip to the Chiropractor for Dixie. She’s still trying to get some relief from the numbness in her fingers. I spent the morning attempting to contact DIRECTV. We’re making the change from Dish Network because they have been ordered to discontinue the distant network channel service. DIRECTV can still offer it. We need this service since we travel, otherwise, we would not get any network programming. It’s been a cloudy, cool kind of day so Mike did some mh cleaning.
Tuesday, Nov 28 … Dixie did some laundry while I did some things around the mh in the a.m. We went to the pool and hot tub in the afternoon. The weather was warm and sunny.
Monday, Nov 27 … Dixie had a Chiropractor appointment at 10:30. After lunch we drove to Moore Haven to scope out the RV park we’ll go to on Dec 20th. Again, nothing to write home about but at least it’s on some water…a canal. Not much to do in central Florida. Lake Okeechobee is difficult to get to even though we‘re only about one mile from it. The land is extremely marshy and the lake, at least so far, is not accessible.
Sunday, Nov 26 … Traveled the 78 miles to Clewiston, FL. We arrived at a park that is just so-so. They assigned us to a space that is near the highway 27 we came in on. It’s noisy. There are many vacant spaces in this park, several around the small lake but we get assign next to the highway. We were scheduled to be here for two weeks but after seeing the park, decided to leave after one week. We made reservations to check in a week early at Curry Hammock State Park near Marathon in the Keys. We’ll be there for two weeks. A bit expensive but what the heck … we’re livin’ the dream.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
The last of the Atlantic Coast!
Saturday, Nov 25 … A little warmer today but the wind is still blowing. Drove to Fort Pierce to pick up an Airborne shipment. We checked out the beach in Ft. Pierce but it was still a bit cool & windy to hang out there. Mike put the wheel back on his bike so we are in business again. Tomorrow we head out again. We drive about 78 miles to Clewiston.
Friday, Nov 24 … A sunny but windy day. Dixie did a haircut for a neighbor from NY. We drove to the beach but the wind and clouds made it an undesirable place. We found a park bench and read our books for over an hour. We then drove into Jensen Beach and picked up my bike wheel that I had fixed. Next stop was Conchy Joe’s, a restaurant for happy hour and free food. The fried clams and the crab salad were very good.
Thursday, Nov 23 … THANKSGIVING DAY!! We have much to be thankful for, our health and loving family just to name two. We visited with many of our family members today via the cell phone. At 2:00 we went to the park club house for a Thanksgiving feast. They furnished the turkey; one baked and one fried. The rest of us brought a dish. The food was excellent! We met and talked with a nice couple from Maine. We learned that we’ll see them again at our next rv park in Clewiston, FL. They are seasoned rv’ers and know FL well.
Friday, Nov 24 … A sunny but windy day. Dixie did a haircut for a neighbor from NY. We drove to the beach but the wind and clouds made it an undesirable place. We found a park bench and read our books for over an hour. We then drove into Jensen Beach and picked up my bike wheel that I had fixed. Next stop was Conchy Joe’s, a restaurant for happy hour and free food. The fried clams and the crab salad were very good.
Thursday, Nov 23 … THANKSGIVING DAY!! We have much to be thankful for, our health and loving family just to name two. We visited with many of our family members today via the cell phone. At 2:00 we went to the park club house for a Thanksgiving feast. They furnished the turkey; one baked and one fried. The rest of us brought a dish. The food was excellent! We met and talked with a nice couple from Maine. We learned that we’ll see them again at our next rv park in Clewiston, FL. They are seasoned rv’ers and know FL well.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving from Port St. Lucie, FL
Wednesday, 22 ... Cold & Windy again! Where's our Sunny Florida weather? - we haven't been to the beach yet at this location. We took Mike's bike wheel to the repair shop to fix the bearings....not sure what happened to our bikes! We will be having Thanksgiving dinner at the RV park clubhouse with fellow RV'ers. The park is providing the turkey and the rest of us will bring a side dish. Another holiday without family (the one down side to traveling).
Tuesday, Nov 21 ... Another cold & windy day in FL. woke up to 41 degrees -- burr! Caught up on some computer work & putting the Christmas letter together.
Monday, Nov 20 … A cool, breezy day so decided to do laundry this morning. Dixie bought a new bike. Of course then we had to take a ride!
Sunday, Nov 19 … A little more store hopping today. Spent the early afternoon outside in cool but sunny temps reading the newspaper. Later, we drove about 30 miles to Jupiter and met some CO friends from Fort Lauderdale for dinner at the Crab House.
Saturday, Nov 18 … Did a lot of store hopping “shopping” today. Put a for sale sign on Dixie’s bike before we left. When we returned, a couple across from us wanted to buy it. What luck!
Friday, Nov 17 … Today is sunny but much cooler. In the a.m. we walked for about ½ hour around the neighborhood. There are lot’s of stores in this highly populated area.
Thursday, Nov 16 … On a warm cloudy day with a threat of rain, we took a drive to see the area. We drove over to Hutchinson island just across the intercoastal waterway. It's a nice area with several high rise condo buildings overlooking the ocean. We have some friends that own one but they our out of state for the holiday. At a public beach access area, we watched several young guys trying to catch a wave on small “boogy” boards.
Wednesday, Nov 15 … Drove 40 miles down the road to Port St. Lucie, another atlantic coastly town. We’ll be at this park for a record 11 days. The park is small but the sites are adequate with level back-in concrete pads with a patio and table. We went to the pool for awhile because the weather is supposed to turn cooler tonight and for the next three days.
Tuesday, Nov 21 ... Another cold & windy day in FL. woke up to 41 degrees -- burr! Caught up on some computer work & putting the Christmas letter together.
Monday, Nov 20 … A cool, breezy day so decided to do laundry this morning. Dixie bought a new bike. Of course then we had to take a ride!
Sunday, Nov 19 … A little more store hopping today. Spent the early afternoon outside in cool but sunny temps reading the newspaper. Later, we drove about 30 miles to Jupiter and met some CO friends from Fort Lauderdale for dinner at the Crab House.
Saturday, Nov 18 … Did a lot of store hopping “shopping” today. Put a for sale sign on Dixie’s bike before we left. When we returned, a couple across from us wanted to buy it. What luck!
Friday, Nov 17 … Today is sunny but much cooler. In the a.m. we walked for about ½ hour around the neighborhood. There are lot’s of stores in this highly populated area.
Thursday, Nov 16 … On a warm cloudy day with a threat of rain, we took a drive to see the area. We drove over to Hutchinson island just across the intercoastal waterway. It's a nice area with several high rise condo buildings overlooking the ocean. We have some friends that own one but they our out of state for the holiday. At a public beach access area, we watched several young guys trying to catch a wave on small “boogy” boards.
Wednesday, Nov 15 … Drove 40 miles down the road to Port St. Lucie, another atlantic coastly town. We’ll be at this park for a record 11 days. The park is small but the sites are adequate with level back-in concrete pads with a patio and table. We went to the pool for awhile because the weather is supposed to turn cooler tonight and for the next three days.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Tuesday, Nov 14 … Move day tomorrow so began the process of putting away stuff for travel the 50 miles to Port St. Lucie. We drove to the Sebastian Inlet State Park this afternoon. It was a beautiful sunny calm day (temp 78) so there were many people out fishing in boats and on the pier. We got a glimpse of a Bottlenose Dolphin and possibly a Manatee. We also walked quite a bit along the waters edge. Walking in sandals was not a good thing and our legs were aching later.
Monday, Nov 13 … A cool morning .. Even had to run the furnace to take the chill out. Dixie had another Dr. appointment at 2:15. Mike worked on the rewiring of the cable from the mh to the tow car. With a test light we determined I had done it correctly and now we have tow lights again.
Sunday, Nov 12 … Walked and rode bikes during the day. Went to the grocery store later in the day.
Saturday, Nov 11 … Veteran’s Day. Went to the beach. It was nice for a while but the weather turned cool at about 2:00p.m. so we came home.
Friday, Nov 10 … It’s someone’s birthday today (Mike). It’s also the birthday of the United States Marine Corp. Semper Fi. We went to the pool at about 1100a. for a couple of hours. We drove to Vero Beach for an early dinner at Mulligan’s Beach Grill. It was definitely on the beach. The temp was about 78 so we ate outside with a beautiful view of the Atlantic ocean. We ordered Mahi Mahi & ribeye steak which we divided so we could each have a bit of both. The food and service was outstanding. A great ending to a wonderful birthday.
Thursday, Nov 9 … Dixie went to a local Chiropractor in an effort to get relief from headaches and numbness in her hands. After the appointment, we found access to the public beach in Vero Beach. Boy, are there a lot of expensive homes and condo’s along the water. Why are we surprised because we’ve seen many of them since entering the great state of FL.
Wednesday, Nov 8 … Travel day today but only after we had Jim Guld of www.geeksontour.com work for over two hours on our laptop computer. It was sick to say the least. Jim found (and deleted) several viruses and corrupted files. We can’t thank you enough, Jim. It’s now running like a fine Swiss watch. The 108 miles to Vero Beach was uneventful … just the way we like it. The Sunshine RV resort of Vero Beach is a good park. The office gave us a site that was very near I-95. (You could see the cars and trucks whizzing by.) I asked for another site on the other side of the park and farther away from the freeway and lo and behold the lady gave us one. It’s much quieter plus we have nice neighbors.
Monday, Nov 13 … A cool morning .. Even had to run the furnace to take the chill out. Dixie had another Dr. appointment at 2:15. Mike worked on the rewiring of the cable from the mh to the tow car. With a test light we determined I had done it correctly and now we have tow lights again.
Sunday, Nov 12 … Walked and rode bikes during the day. Went to the grocery store later in the day.
Saturday, Nov 11 … Veteran’s Day. Went to the beach. It was nice for a while but the weather turned cool at about 2:00p.m. so we came home.
Friday, Nov 10 … It’s someone’s birthday today (Mike). It’s also the birthday of the United States Marine Corp. Semper Fi. We went to the pool at about 1100a. for a couple of hours. We drove to Vero Beach for an early dinner at Mulligan’s Beach Grill. It was definitely on the beach. The temp was about 78 so we ate outside with a beautiful view of the Atlantic ocean. We ordered Mahi Mahi & ribeye steak which we divided so we could each have a bit of both. The food and service was outstanding. A great ending to a wonderful birthday.
Thursday, Nov 9 … Dixie went to a local Chiropractor in an effort to get relief from headaches and numbness in her hands. After the appointment, we found access to the public beach in Vero Beach. Boy, are there a lot of expensive homes and condo’s along the water. Why are we surprised because we’ve seen many of them since entering the great state of FL.
Wednesday, Nov 8 … Travel day today but only after we had Jim Guld of www.geeksontour.com work for over two hours on our laptop computer. It was sick to say the least. Jim found (and deleted) several viruses and corrupted files. We can’t thank you enough, Jim. It’s now running like a fine Swiss watch. The 108 miles to Vero Beach was uneventful … just the way we like it. The Sunshine RV resort of Vero Beach is a good park. The office gave us a site that was very near I-95. (You could see the cars and trucks whizzing by.) I asked for another site on the other side of the park and farther away from the freeway and lo and behold the lady gave us one. It’s much quieter plus we have nice neighbors.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Wauchula, FL
Nov 1 - 7..... We drove the 50 miles to Wauchula, FL (south of Lakeland & east of Tampa. It's just a small town so not much around to do. We spent the week walking, biking, exercising, reading and relaxing. Only managed to get one day in at the pool as the weather has been kinda windy and we had rain today. Seems like we have to make a trip to the grocery store or a Walmart every other day - not sure what's up with that as we didn't do that when we were working! One unique thing about this area is the "Turkey Buzzards". In the late afternoons there are hundreds of them flying overhead. We have never seen so many birds flying at one time! I took several photo's but your can't really see what it looks like. Tomorrow we hit the road again - next stop is Vero Beach on the east coast of FL.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Lakeland, FL
Tuesday, Oct 31 ... Happy Halloween! Laundry in the am, pool in the pm! It's 87 degrees here today.
Monday, Oct 30 ... A serviceman came out to replace the interior light in the oven (it's next to impossible to get at).
Sunday, Oct 29 … Spent the morning reading the newspaper as well as watching a church service on the tv. That afternoon we took a drive into Lakeland to check out our route of travel on Wednesday. Saturday, Oct 28 … Rain early in the day… Went to a Walmart in the afternoon. Geez, why do we do that on a weekend day - very crowded.
Friday, Oct 27 … Hung around the rv park doing rv “stuff”. Went to the pool in the afternoon.
Thursday, Oct 26 … The technicians had more to do on our Tropical so we spent most of the morning in the waiting room. Two of our three rubber slide seals had to be replaced because of a “rodent or squirrel” chewed holes in them. How weird!! After all that we drove about 6 miles to the Lakeland RV park. Wednesday, Oct 25 … Left our Tropical with the National RV folks for some minor warranty work. A beautiful day … the morning was sunny and crisp w/temps in the low 50’s. Around 10:00 a.m. we drove downtown to a park on a small lake. Spent the night in the National RV Service Center lot.
Monday, Oct 30 ... A serviceman came out to replace the interior light in the oven (it's next to impossible to get at).
Sunday, Oct 29 … Spent the morning reading the newspaper as well as watching a church service on the tv. That afternoon we took a drive into Lakeland to check out our route of travel on Wednesday. Saturday, Oct 28 … Rain early in the day… Went to a Walmart in the afternoon. Geez, why do we do that on a weekend day - very crowded.
Friday, Oct 27 … Hung around the rv park doing rv “stuff”. Went to the pool in the afternoon.
Thursday, Oct 26 … The technicians had more to do on our Tropical so we spent most of the morning in the waiting room. Two of our three rubber slide seals had to be replaced because of a “rodent or squirrel” chewed holes in them. How weird!! After all that we drove about 6 miles to the Lakeland RV park. Wednesday, Oct 25 … Left our Tropical with the National RV folks for some minor warranty work. A beautiful day … the morning was sunny and crisp w/temps in the low 50’s. Around 10:00 a.m. we drove downtown to a park on a small lake. Spent the night in the National RV Service Center lot.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
More from St. Augustine
Tuesday, Oct 24 ... Drove 160 miles to the National RV Service Center in Lakeland. We are staying in their parking lot for the next 2 nights. They will be doing some warrenty work on the motorhome on Wed. and Thur.
Monday, Oct 23 … Drove to the Jacksonville airport to pick up Dixie returning from EWR. Came home and started putting away things around the mh in preparation for blast off tomorrow to Lakeland, Fl.
Sunday, Oct 22 … Mike took a long bike ride along the costal road and over to the international waterway to the west. Worked around the mh today & watched some of the NFL game in which the Houston Texans defeated the Jacksonville team 27 - 7.
Saturday, Oct 21 … Dixie is going to EWR for a wedding of a friend she used to work with. The flights out of JAX or DAB to EWR were booked heavily so she flew to IAH and did an overnighter with a friend. They then took a flight to EWR from IAH on Sunday morning. Mike stayed home & watched the Cardinals win the first game of the 2006 World Series over the Detroit Tigers.
Friday, Oct 20 … Not much doing today. Stayed close to home and did laundry and some things around the mh. We did walk/jog along the costal highway for about 30 minutes. The weather was sunny.
Thursday, Oct 19 … Today we decided to take in the so called “Fountain of Youth”. In 1513 Ponce de Leon came ashore to mark and record for all time the first chapter of our colonial history - the discovery of America. The spring was thought to be a “fountain of youth” because the Indians who lived there were very tall (average height of 6’ 6” ) and lived to be 85-90 years of age whereas people from Spain only lived to 35-40 years. The water was available so we had a small cup of it. (Of course, you could buy more of it in the gift shop)
Next in the park was the Navigator’s celestial Planetarium. This astounding exhibit revealed the ancient mysteries of navigation, the star instrument that brought together the viewer and Ponce de Leon under the night sky of North America’s discovery.
The next exhibit was the Explorer’s Discovery Globe. In eight minutes you see the first 100 Spanish years of new world exploration and conquest. It was a huge globe that stood 2 stories and rotated with the story.
We had brought lunch with us in the cooler so we found a picnic table at the Lighthouse State Park. We then walked to the beach and spread out the towel and took a nap.
Monday, Oct 23 … Drove to the Jacksonville airport to pick up Dixie returning from EWR. Came home and started putting away things around the mh in preparation for blast off tomorrow to Lakeland, Fl.
Sunday, Oct 22 … Mike took a long bike ride along the costal road and over to the international waterway to the west. Worked around the mh today & watched some of the NFL game in which the Houston Texans defeated the Jacksonville team 27 - 7.
Saturday, Oct 21 … Dixie is going to EWR for a wedding of a friend she used to work with. The flights out of JAX or DAB to EWR were booked heavily so she flew to IAH and did an overnighter with a friend. They then took a flight to EWR from IAH on Sunday morning. Mike stayed home & watched the Cardinals win the first game of the 2006 World Series over the Detroit Tigers.
Friday, Oct 20 … Not much doing today. Stayed close to home and did laundry and some things around the mh. We did walk/jog along the costal highway for about 30 minutes. The weather was sunny.
Thursday, Oct 19 … Today we decided to take in the so called “Fountain of Youth”. In 1513 Ponce de Leon came ashore to mark and record for all time the first chapter of our colonial history - the discovery of America. The spring was thought to be a “fountain of youth” because the Indians who lived there were very tall (average height of 6’ 6” ) and lived to be 85-90 years of age whereas people from Spain only lived to 35-40 years. The water was available so we had a small cup of it. (Of course, you could buy more of it in the gift shop)
Next in the park was the Navigator’s celestial Planetarium. This astounding exhibit revealed the ancient mysteries of navigation, the star instrument that brought together the viewer and Ponce de Leon under the night sky of North America’s discovery.
The next exhibit was the Explorer’s Discovery Globe. In eight minutes you see the first 100 Spanish years of new world exploration and conquest. It was a huge globe that stood 2 stories and rotated with the story.
We had brought lunch with us in the cooler so we found a picnic table at the Lighthouse State Park. We then walked to the beach and spread out the towel and took a nap.
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