The Still of the Night

After spending a couple of days with my mother, we drove inland yesterday stopping at a few places along the way. Our first stop was Dunedin, FL, which is the location of the best quilt shop I have ever visited. It's called Rainbow's End, and it features over 20,000 bolts of fabric! I had lots of fun choosing fabric for the quilt I will make for my sister Lisa's wedding gift. Even if you don't quilt, Dunedin is a great town to visit, with four miles of picturesque waterfront and many nice shops and restaurants along Main Street.

We then decided to walk through Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, which is the home of native Florida wildlife, including manatees, black bears, bobcats, white-tailed deer, American alligators, American crocodiles, and river otters. We didn't realize the animals would be in a zoo-like setting, and though it was somewhat educational, we didn't enjoy seeing the animals caged.

The next order of business was to find a place to camp/sleep. Bill wanted to try Ocala National Forest, where we found an almost empty campground at Fore Lake. It was a real bargain at $12, but the best thing about it was how quiet it was. Everytime I woke up last night, I was amazed at the stillness...not a sound to be heard!

It's getting chillier as we venture northward, and I noticed Baltimore isn't too much cooler than we are here! That's OK...Bill and I want the Maryland snow to wait until we return...we love a good snowstorm!

Good Eats!

Although I've actually lost weight on this trip, which I contribute to lots of walking and exercise (Bill keeps trying to convince me it's due to drinking beer each evening), we have enjoyed some delicious meals in Florida. Let me start backwards and try to remember...

Today Mom and I had lunch at PJ's Oyster Bar in Indian Rocks Beach, which is right down the road from where she and John will spend the winter (Largo, FL). We both had a very tasty grilled grouper sandwich. Grouper seems to be the fish of choice most places we go in Florida.

Yesterday our friend Lou drove us to see the sights in St. Petersburg, and we stopped at a beachfront restaurant called Caddy's for lunch. They smoke their own meats, which made for the best corned beef reuben I have ever had! The night before Lou treated us to dinner at the Crab Shack, where I had my first taste of stone crabs and Bill had alligator sausage. The crabs were good, but my favorites remain steamed blue crabs, and, of course, Bill has never met a sausage he didn't like!

Speaking of reubens, Susan Brown recommended we stop to get a lobster reuben at the Key Fisheries Restaurant in Marathon. It was huge, and we shared it as Susan suggested.

Also in Marathon is the Sunset Grille, where we watched the football games. We would definitely order the hamburgers and sushi there again. 

When we were traveling through South Florida, the Cuban influence made for some good eatin'. We would go to the prepared foods section of the grocery store and buy the most succulent roast pork and a dish called picadillo, which is seasoned ground beef with green olives and potatoes.

As most of you know, I am very particular about my coffee...and I like to have it first thing every morning. We solved the challenge of what to do when we are not hooked up to electricity by purchasing an insulated French Press. I just have to heat water on our stove, which uses propane and can always be turned on, pour it over the Starbucks coffee, and let it steep for four minutes. So good!!! Bill can enjoy his extra minutes...hour...in bed, while I have my coffee and read the paper at the dinette.

Gotta go...dinner time!

Flora and Fauna

Although Bill and I have so enjoyed the warm, sunny Florida weather, we also have relished the state's wide variety of flora and fauna. We have tried to learn the names of the various palms and birds, etc. from the educational brochures and placques at the state parks, but next year we will certainly be armed with a reference book to carry around. My favorite palm is the Royal Palm, but they range from 50-66 feet tall, so they are difficult to photograph. On our last nature walk in the Everglades, I aimed the camera upward:

On the same walk, we learned about the Strangler Fig, which is a vine-like tree that begins when its seed is deposited in the upper part of the host tree. When the seed sprouts, it sends down roots that entwine or strangle and often kill the host tree. The one we spotted looks like a large hand around the trunk:



We have spent the last two days exploring the Gulf beaches of Marco Island, Naples, and Sanibel Island. These are places where the billboards advertise Gucci, and the gardeners are busy working in each well-manicured yard outside of spectacular waterfront homes. RV's were not a common site, but Bill managed to find a place to park ours so we could walk the shell-covered beaches.

Today is Day 29 of our trip and we are experiencing our first rain. Our next destination is St. Petersburg to visit a friend, and then on to Largo to spend a couple of days with Mom and John. The fun continues!

Everglades



We have spent the last two days and nights in the Florida Everglades. What a spectacular national park! Although I am a bit terrified of the alligators lounging around EVERYWHERE, they seem to be low key kind of creatures. I actually got close enough to one to take the picture above. The wading birds are also everywhere, and they seem to be used to the people (like me) who want to photograph them.

The campgrounds here are much more quiet than the places we stayed in the Keys, and they are much darker, which helps with our stargazing.

I have to keep reminding myself it is January, as it was again in the 80's today. Our next destination is the Gulf coast, where I hope to find some shells and sea glass!

Still Here

Although we are inching our way northward, we are still in the Florida Keys. The weather and the beaches are perfect, so we figured...why leave? After spending 5 days in Key West, we are back in Marathon next to the Sunset Grille, where we will watch the Ravens beat the Patriots this afternoon.

We haven't done much sight-seeing lately, and have settled into a nice routine mixed with exercise and relaxation.

I have enjoyed cooking in the motorhome. Our "kitchen" has lots of counter space, and I love the gas stove. I stocked the cabinets with some of our dishes from home, so we're camping is style, eating from our Blue Ridge dishes and having cocktails from Waterford glasses.

In fact, Bill is making his famous potatoes, onions, and eggs right now!

Another Day in Paradise

Yesterday was another fun day in Key West. Upon the recommendation of our neighbor, we decided to go to the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory. It is an amazing place, filled with 50 different species of butterflies flitting from flower to flower in a lush garden of tropical plants and trees. Although my camera and photography skills aren't the best, I did manage to get a few adequate photos.



Our next stop was to Fort Taylor, which is a waterfront day use state park. We toured the fort (built in 1845) and spent some time reading on the beach. To our delight, a cruise ship rounded the bend.

The day ended by having dinner with a friend from Harford County who now lives in Key West. She is so happy living in paradise, and we can certainly see why!



Key West

Key West will be our home for the next few days. Actually, we are at Boyd's Campground on Stock Island, just a few miles South of Key West. The last time I was in Key West was with Bill during Christmas break in the early 80's. He then had what he called his "luxury camper", a VW Vanagon that had a pop-up roof. Since we had no money to speak of, we "camped" in the VW Dealership parking lot overnight. To get a free meal, we listened to a 2-hour sales pitch about a time-share. We've come a long way, Baby!

Our campsite is waterfront, and we have electric, water, and cable TV. Here's the view from our current "luxury camper":

We drove into town today to walk around and have lunch, and, oh, yes, to visit the lone quilt shop in Key West. My chopped salad, topped with grilled shrimp and mahi mahi, hearts of palm, and mango was a delicious tropical treat. Bill had conch chowder and a blackened shrimp wrap. Right now, dinner is cooking on the grill...barbecued chicken. We are fortunate to be experiencing great weather...the kind where one dons flip flops, shorts, and a tank top (or in Bill's case, the requisite white tee shirt)!

Marathon

It's been very windy down here in the Florida Keys, but at least the temperatures have been around 70. We've spent the last two days in Marathon, at Knight's Key RV Park and Marina. The park has a tiki bar overlooking the water, and Bill and I have enjoyed watching the sunsets while sipping our beers there.

A nearby restaurant and bar, the Sunset Grille is in walking distance, and that's where we watched the Ravens beat Houston. Sitting next to us at the bar was a family from Baltimore County, so we had fun rooting for our home team together!

Back in the USA

When Bill and I awoke Thursday morning, we learned that there was trouble in paradise. Apparently, after we had gone to bed Wednesday evening, words were said, and feelings were hurt. Consequently, our traveling buddies, Karl and Ashley, decided to fly home Thursday afternoon instead of Saturday morning. Since there was no easy way for us to arrange flights home Saturday, we flew back to Miami with them. Our time at Lush Life was truly a trip of a lifetime, but we are very happy back in our motorhome living our carefree lifestyle in sunny Florida!

Yesterday, we took a two hour tour on a glass-bottom boat out to the third largest coral reef in the world, which is located off of Key Largo. Bill and I were both thrilled to view the live coral and very cool fish. The narrators, who explained everything we were seeing, taught us so much!

We are going to hang in the Keys for a few days and hope to find a bar in Key West tomorrow to watch Baltimore beat Houston. Go Ravens!

Harbour Island

The island of Eleuthera is 110 miles long and its width ranges from 3 miles to 25 feet. We are staying in Governor's Harbour, which is in central Eleuthera, and today we ventured 50 miles north to the tip where we took a short boat ride to Harbour Island. The small island is tightly packed with shops, marinas, and resorts, which is very different from the mostly undeveloped Eleuthera. We all loved the vibrant colors of Harbour Island...the turquoise waters, brightly painted buildings, colorful chickens roaming the streets, and, of course, the beautifully hued rum punches!



Teach a Man to Fish...

Food here on the island is very expensive. A gallon of milk is $10; a loaf of bread $5. And, much to Bill's dismay, a case of beer is between $43 and $48! Feeding our group of 18 has been a challenge, but Lisa has been doing a great job of going to the local grocer's every day to buy what the cooks need for our meals. We did bring, what we had heard was "hard to get" items, with us to Eleuthera, such as beef tenderloin and cheeses. If we were to come again, we would definitely pack more food into our suitcases!

Today we chartered a fishing boat and took an excursion out to the deep seas to try to catch tonight's dinner. I did catch my first (and only) fish, a snapper,which was very exciting. Fortunately, the others were much better fishermen than I. They caught enough snapper, grouper, and yellow tail to feed our clan. Can't wait to taste it!

Brother-in-law, Lee, with a grouper



Laid Back

As Claire and Caroline are portraying, life on the island is very laid back. A sign at a nearby restaurant, which is totally outdoors, BTW, reads "We open when we get here; we close when we leave".

Our clan enjoyed a day of lounging by the pool or on the beach, as the weather was perfect today. Nick and Brendan gathered some wood and dug a pit so we can have a bonfire on the beach tonight. By lunch time, three housekeepers had cleaned the kitchen, made all of the beds, laundered the towels and vacuumed the house.

Bill is now calling for me to come up to the rooftop deck to see the full moon rise. He does have a glass of wine up there for me...

A Lush Life

Our flight on the Lear Jet was very cool and very fast. The driver who picked us up from the hotel drove right up to the plane, we embarked, and away we went! The small customs office on the island was quite laid back, and after we answered a few questions, another driver took us to our destination, a beautiful compound aptly named, "Lush Life".

Here is a view from our bedroom balcony:

Natives Brenda and Andrew prepared a bountiful dinner for the 18 of us: lobster, grouper (both caught the same day), fried plantains, freshly made slaw, and "dirty rice". And yes, they cleaned up the kitchen and made a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and grits for us this morning. A lush life, indeed!

Doral-Miami

Today was dedicated to getting to Miami and packing for our week-long trip to the Bahamas. We have a great room at the Hampton Inn in the Doral-Miami area. It was in the 70's today and Bill had a chance to read by the pool.

Tomorrow morning a driver will pick us up and take us to the Opa Locka Airport where we will take a Lear jet to Governor's Harbour, which is on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. Both the driver and jet ride are compliments of my sister and brother-in-law's friend, Karl. Hopefully, he will be our friend too by the end of the week!

Girl Power!

Notice in the picture above the slide out that provides us with lots more room when we are at a campsite. With a push of a button the side of the RV slides out. Much to our dismay last evening, we forgot to move a tote bag (one I used for work for many years) full of my paperwork, books, and Nook, before we pushed the magic button. The bag got squished and the slide out got stuck. This morning we called a family owned mobile RV repair company who promised to pay us a service call soon...they did and a very nice gentleman and lady entered our motorhome...the man was perplexed, but the lady hit the coach battery button that allowed the slide out to move! I grabbed the bag, and was thrilled the only loss was the cover of the Nook and the bag...both of which were subsequently thrown into a dumpster. What a fitting demise of my "school bag".

We decided to stay here at Highlands Hammock State Park for another night. This gave us a chance to do the laundry and exercise (we brought some weights). After we exercised, I rented a bike. I can't remember the last time I rode a bike, but as the adage states, once you learn, you don't forget. I was a bit wobbly at first, but soon mastered riding around the campgrounds. After biking, we walked a few more trails. I'm now resting my tired muscles and enjoying dinner with my hubby!

Along with the theme of Girl Power!...the campground is hosting a gathering of the Florida Chapter of RVing Women today through Sunday. You would not believe the sizes of the RV's these women are driving!

A Mixed Bag

There was frost on the windshield and the temperature was 20 degrees when we woke up this morning at Manatee Springs State Park. This is Florida? Oh, well, we were very comfy in our heated motorhome, although Bill was worried the outside water lines would freeze...they didn't, though. We took a short walk in the cold temperatures this morning to see the springs, which are the winter home to West Indian manatees since the spring waters are 72 degrees year round. We were lucky enough to spot two manatees, a mother and a cub, swimming nearby. Not a photo op, though, since they swim right below the surface and stick their noses up periodically for air. We were quite excited to see them!

After a quick stop to a quilt shop, and yes, I bought more fabric...we traveled to Highlands Hammock State Park in Sebring, Florida. It was then a beautiful 64 degrees and we briskly walked about five miles of trails, amongst huge palms and other tropical habitat. Along the path, we found an orange that had fallen from a lone, scraggly orange tree, and of course I pocketed it, to use in my nightly Blue Moon.

Unfortunately, we are now in our first...and hopefully, last, crisis of the trip. My "school bag" got stuck in the slide out of the motorhome, thus we need to have someone come to the campsite and unlodge it before we can continue to travel. Bill is taking this much better than I am; hopefully tomorrow morning will bring a competent repairman and a happy ending!

Florida!

The Baptist churches are as large as malls, a pail of chitterlings are on sale for $5.99, and everyone speaks with a lovely Southern drawl. Yes, we are in the South!
We made it to our destination, Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, around noon. Our campsite faces a pond, and it has hook-ups for electric, water, and cable TV. Bill and I walked most of the afternoon. We took a nature trail and walked along the beach. The sand looks like snow, it is so white, and there are lots of dunes and no buildings!

We just came back from our sunset walk, and are having cocktails and a snack. Life is good!



Happy New Year!

Bill, Micki, Michelle and I joined thousands in the streets of Nashville to bring in 2012 and watch the music note (Nashville's alternative to the NYC ball) descend. There were a few fireworks, but nothing compared to Baltimore's Inner Harbor display. Everyone had a good time and we had a chance to stop in a couple of bars and hear some live music.

It was great spending time with the Slingerlands in their beautiful home, and we enjoyed some fine wine and champagne along with delicious home-cooked meals.

Today after breakfast, we took a walk around nearby Radnor Lake, so we could get in some exercise before hitting the road again.

After 6 hours of driving (listening to the Raven's game, BTW), we are now in Brewton, Alabama, which is very close to where our niece Anna and her husband Marty used to live. Tomorrow's 2-hour drive will take us to our next destination, Topsail Hill Preserve State Park located on the panhandle of Florida. From all we've read about it, it should be very beautiful!