It's Cold!

I am wearing corduroy slacks, a long sleeve top, and a fleece jacket...we must be close to home.

Yesterday we camped in another very nice state park...Huntington Beach State Park in South Carolina. This park afforded us two more pleasant beach walks, although it was too chilly to go barefoot.

Last evening we had cocktails with a couple who has the same motorhome as we. They are also recently retired, and are just starting their trip to Florida. Bill and Dave shared tips and experiences with the motorhomes, and Diane and I talked about QUILTING! Yes, she's a quilter and even had her sewing machine with her!

Today has been spent getting to I95 and then traveling up 95. I guess the whole trip can't be as fun as the last 37 days:)

What a wonderful trip we have had! Bill and I realize how fortunate we are to have each other, to have good health, and, oh, yes, to have a pension, so we can continue to live life fully in our retirement. We are truly blessed!

One Fine Day

As soon as I walked into The Georgia Pig and smelled the meat cooking in the open pit, I knew we were going to have a delicious lunch. And, boy, did we! We bought a pound of the pork barbeque and a pint of cole slaw. Luckily, there is enough left over for tonight's dinner.



This afternoon we arrived at Hunting Island State Park on the coast of South Carolina. Yeah! Another beach! And it was warm enough to take a nice long walk in the surf of the Atlantic Ocean. I found my first sharks' teeth here, which was very exciting:)



This campground was quite a find. I can look out our front window and see the ocean, and we can hear the waves, which will make for some sound sleeping tonight!

Homeward Bound

Today is Day 35 of our trip...5 weeks, and still loving it! But, alas, it's time to leave Florida and make our way back home.

Two days ago we returned to the east coast of Florida after taking some walks in Juniper Springs Recreation Area (in Ocala National Forest) and Ponce de Leon Springs State Park. Bill took dips in the always 68 degree temperatures of the clear waters of both springs. By the size of the parking lots, these must be very popular destinations on weekends and in warmer weather. We are very happy to have these places to ourselves in January and February.

Tuesday night we parked the motorhome in the driveway of our friend Bob's house in St. Augustine. Bob and his wife still live in Maryland so the house is unfurnished, but I used their electric to dry my hair. I'm sure tongues were wagging about why an RV from Maryland was "camping" in their neighborhood!

The drive up Highway A1A along the Atlantic coast was beautiful. Last night we stayed in Fort Clinch State Park, and again had the pleasure of walking along a beach. I love beachcombing for shells, and found some more to add to my collection.

Lunch today will be barbecue at the Georgia Pig, a favorite spot of Bill's, then onto Beaufort, South Carolina. Hope it's still warm there!

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!