Long Easter Weekend With Grandsons . . .

. . . And their parents. We arrived in Norman on Wednesday afternoon so that we were at our daughter's home when the grandsons arrived home from school. We loved the joyous and excited welcomes we received. Thursday we attended Vincent's pre-school Easter egg hunt and party. These three-year-olds are just precious. The rest of the day was spent shopping and doing chores until 3 pm when we picked up the oldest grandson, Luca, from school and spent some special one-on-one time with him. His birthday is coming up April 3 so he got to pick out one of his birthday gifts from Toy R' Us. He thought that was pretty cool!

Friday we spent the whole day with Vincent who wore us out with all his running and "Play with me!" requests. That night we celebrated three birthdays - Vincent's was March 22, Erin's is April 2 and Luca's is April 3.

Saturday was busy with shopping and playing with time out for a visit to the site of the Perillo's new house they are having built and a tour of the model home like the plan they will have. We are really excited for them. Oh, yes, we did decorate Easter Eggs.

This morning dawned with a thunderstorm that literally shook the RV. John learned later in the day that we withstood up to 55 mph wind gusts! Of course, this did not deter the Easter bunny from visiting and leaving the eggs scattered around the living room and a cardboard castle in the middle of the room. Lots of excitement in this household. This afternoon, as we did most afternoons, we played some kind of ball game on the front lawn - baseball being the favorite.

John and I are exhausted!

On the Road Again

Can you believe that we drove almost 8 hours on Sunday and we were still in Florida? It's a long way home! Monday we drove from Tallahassee thru Mobile, AL to Biloxi when we turned north (what were we thinking?) towards Jackson, MS. We stayed in a park on the outskirts of Jackson. Evidently they had some bad weather move through there recently as half the RVs were occupied by roofers or contractors as evidenced by the signage on their trucks.

Tuesday we drove from Jackson across the northern part of LA and into AR at Texarkana. About 60 miles north of there we stopped early at a State Park located on a small lake so we could get out a stretch our legs. We walked a really nice nature trail along the lake taking in the wonderful smells of spring even though it was quite cool and very windy!

We woke on Wednesday morning to 34°! It's cold out there!! We had about a 6 hour drive today to get to our grandson's! We crossed AR into OK and then went cross country to Norman, OK. Our GPS indicated that this was the shortest route. It was all two lane roads with some of the roughest roads we have driven on this winter.

We will be in Norman until Monday, April 1 when we will head home.

Family in Florida

Saturday morning we checked out of the Red Coconut and moved the RV to a park on the north side of Ft. Myers. Our original plans had been to leave Ft. Myers and start home while making a stop or two along the way in the Florida panhandle or in New Orleans. But, when I learned that my cousin from CO was coming out to stay with her parents, my favorite Aunt Shirley and Uncle Harold, who reside on Captiva, we changed that plan as I wanted to stick around long enough to visit with them. Thus the move so that we could leave Ft. Myers without having to deal with the traffic off of Ft. Myers' Beach.

This morning we drove to Captiva and had a lovely brunch with my family.

By 3 pm we were on the road and determined to get as far as we could today so that the next few days might not be as grueling of a drive. We got as far as the east side of Tallahassee where we stopped in a rest area for the night.

Spring Break

Spring break is in full swing down here! We rode our bikes up the beach the other day and there were a lot of people but it was about half old folks like us and young families. Yesterday (Thursday) we walked up the beach towards town and the young folks have taken over. They don't seem to mind the temperature, hot or cool, they have their bikini's on or the guys are shirtless. We have never seen so many tattoos! I guess that makes us officially old.

Lots of music, volley ball games, corn bag toss games, frisbees, footballs, jet skis, para-sails -- the beach is hopping. Even the beach in front of the campground is covered with umbrellas and beach chairs. And the traffic is horrendous. Almost everyday the cars are backed up the mile and half from the bridge to our RV park starting around 9 AM and on until dusk.

Last evening we invited our friends from Sedalia to join us at the RV for cocktails and then we walked next door for dinner. It was a great evening. This morning we slept in and then rode our bikes to the Farmers Market where I got some nice looking vegetables. We unloaded those and then rode the bikes over the bridge and got some fresh shrimp. The rest of the day will be spent on the beach. Some life we lead!

Lazy Days

Tuesday we spent lazing around the RV, walking on the beach and then riding our bikes to the south end of the island. We crossed the bridge to Lover's Key State Park then turned around. At this point we had ridden about 10 miles. We were just a couple of miles from Bonita Springs (I think). On the ride back we stopped at a couple of marinas so John could look at boats and NO we are not buying one. One marina was next to a bar so we rested there while enjoying a frozen Margarita. We also checked out a golf course but decided not to play.

Last night we had dinner at a restaurant next door to the RV park. It was really good food, good service and a great view of the sun setting over the gulf. Today we had lunch with a girlfriend of mine from my childhood years in Fulton. She lived next door to me for a few years and I graduated from high school with her. We have not seen each other since a class reunion over 10 years ago. We connected on Face Book and it worked out that we could meet on Sanibel where Susan and Dave are spending the winter.

Rain, Rain Go Away!

Sunday, St. Patrick's Day, was a lazy day for us. We did fight the traffic to go to the grocery store and I attended church. We rode our bikes on the beach on soft sand and against the wind. With the tide coming in and tons of people, we had a very small area of hard pack sand on which to ride.

We then drove over to Sanibel Island to have corned beef and cabbage with our friends from Sedalia. We left an hour and 15 minutes before we were to be there. It took almost an hour to drive from our campground to the bridge off of this island which is only two miles. It was one long, very slow moving string of cars!

Today we, again drove off this island and at 11 am it still took us 20 minutes to drive two miles. We have decided to put the Jeep away and only ride our bikes.

Right after lunch it started raining and it rained ALL afternoon. This is the most rain we have seen while in FL. I hope it moves on tonight. I want my sunshine back!

Red Coconut

Today we hitched up the car and drove across Florida again, back tracking to Fort Myers Beach for a weeks stay at the Red Coconut RV Park. We are one row off the Gulf with a view of the water and beach between RV's. This park is similar to Boyd's in Key West as we are parked really close to our neighbors. But the location is so great. We can watch the sun set every evening, ride our bikes on the beach or down the road and we are close to all the services we might need, including good dining and bars! A bonus is that the weather is supposed to be great this week!

Sunday is St. Pat's Day and we are in the midst of Spring Break so there are tons of people all over the place! We'll find out tomorrow if it is just the weekend or if it will continue into the next week. We are also looking forward to visiting some friends and my aunt and uncle who have a place on Captiva.

Miami Beach and Liam

Wednesday, March 13 - Friday, March 15 found us staying in a cheap motel in Miami Beach while the RV is stored at the RV park. Our son, daughter-in-law and their son were attending a convention in Miami Beach of an association RJ's business belongs to. This is a convention that John and I have attended and enjoyed for many years. So even though we were not registered, we looked forward to seeing many of our friends while helping Lisa and RJ. We spent a lot of time keeping Liam busy and happy while his parents were attending convention events. But we also got a great deal of enjoyment showing him off to our friends. He is so darn cute! And its not just grandparents bragging. Everyone else tells us that too!

Each evening there was a cocktail party or reception that RJ and Lisa attended so we fed Liam and put him to bed. One morning everyone was enjoying a keynote speaker so Liam and I hung out in the huge lobby walking around, and around the lobby and up and down stairs. When it warmed up we went to the playground next door. I logged almost 3 miles on my pedometer while following him around.

Most afternoons, after naps, we spent on the beach playing in the sand. Liam wasn't too fond of the ocean but he loved the sand. He also likes to flirt with the ladies on the beach. We took several walks with Liam in the stroller, played around a pool although he didn't want to get in and in general enjoyed his antics. It was a bit of a vacation for our kids having us available to watch our grandson.

Moving More Northward

Monday we packed up and moved the RV to the Larry & Penny Thompson RV Park which is part of a county park just south of Miami, almost in Homestead. We have stayed here before and really like this location. The campground is set up so that 12-15 RVs are in a circle called a Pod. There are 12 pods all together. The people here are really nice. We attended an ice cream social on Monday afternoon and then our Pod had a contributive breakfast so we got to meet several people. And even though we will be leaving Wednesday morning, its nice to chat with folks.

Since this campground is part of a county park, we enjoyed riding our bikes and walking on their exercise paths that circle a small lake and skirt the Miami Zoo. A nice change of pace for us. We also caught up on laundry and grocery shopping.

Flat Tire

After attending church and fixing lunch we decided to go for an extended bike ride this afternoon. It was nothing exciting, just riding along the coastal highway and stopping periodically to take a rest or explore a neighborhood. We put a little over 18 miles on our bikes. The bad part was that for about 6 miles we rode on a Florida shoulder which was all gravel, grass and tree roots. Somewhere along that route John got a small hole in his front bike tire. He was able to ride all the way back, walking the last block. Since it was the front tire it was easy to get it off, locate and patch the hole in the tube and put it all back together. The bad part is that it was not a very relaxing afternoon for him.

Two More Days on the Water

Friday morning we packed a picnic lunch and spent most of the day in the kayaks. We fished and explored our way up to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. We encountered lots of other kayakers from the park who thought we looked like we knew what we were doing as they always asked us directions. They have a good sized marina and take snorkelers, scuba divers and glass bottom boat tours out to the Reef just off shore. We found a place to have lunch and watched the boats coming and going. We then walked around the concession area before heading back toward our campground. The wind had picked up some so we had to stay in the mangroves on the way back but I enjoyed that part. John fished some more, but since the cuda destroyed his lure yesterday, he hasn't been very successful attracting fish.

We caught the sunset while having cocktails at Gus's then had dinner at Mrs. Macs. We were both worn out from the sun and wind so it was an early evening.

I have enjoyed kayaking so much that I added another day to my rental. Today John fished and I kayaked in the area he was in so in case he caught another fish I would be ready with the camera. No luck. The day was as warm as yesterday but there were more clouds and wind so it felt cooler. Not an exciting kayak adventure but a very peaceful way to be on the water. We split the day in two by having lunch at Sharkey's who serves good fish tacos. We also enjoyed people watching and checking out the boats as they floated by. The neatest boat was "The African Queen" chugging along the canal. In May there will be a Humphrey Bogart Festival in Key Largo.

Barracuda!

The day started off cool but warmed up quickly. Mid morning we got the kayaks out and went for a short float. We have a system in the way we load and unload the boats. The beach where we have the boats on shore is a fair distance to be carrying kayak supplies like seat, paddles and fishing gear so John rides his bike and I drive the Jeep to the beach. We unload the gear onto a picnic table and I take the Jeep back to the campsite (no parking at the beach) and ride my bike back to the beach. We then reverse the process when unloading the boats.

This afternoon we found a nice deep, quiet place to fish. Well, John fishes and I just cruise around him. This time it was a good thing I was close by because John caught a 24" barracuda! Did you know they have lots of sharp teeth!?! John let him jump and swim so as to wear him down and then took a fish towel and grabbed him behind his gills while pulling the hook out with a pair of long nose pliers. It's a good thing the fish was tired as I could just envision it taking a bite out of Johns hand! I didn't actually help out in any way, but I supplied a lot of shouts, giggles and excitement. In all the excitement, we forgot to get the camera out!

So I got the camera out when we got back and took a picture of our campsite.

Kayaking

The campground folks recommended that we use Florida Bay Outfitters to rent a kayak as they deliver and have a multi-day discount. I now have an orange kayak for three days and the weather should be pretty good for kayaking during that time.

We took a short kayak trip across the way this morning so I could get used to the boat and figure out the best way to use the paddle. Then after lunch we went out again for a little longer cruise. It's lots of fun to wind your way down the alley's and pathways among the mangroves. The water is pretty shallow in most places with deeper pools at the end of the alley's. We spotted several small fish, snowy egrets, herons and jelly fish. The jelly fish is fascinating because it looks like a cluster of white moss sitting on the bottom but when gently nudges it swims off like a flying saucer. We even spotted one swimming at the top of the water. John got a couple of bites while fishing and we met up with several kayakers and canoeists from the state park.

The bad part was we had let the tide and wind carry us away from the campground so it was a long haul for me to paddle back. John, on the other hand, just leisurely peddled has kayak behind me, shouting words of encouragement like, "Straighten it out, slow down, you're going to hit that . .. . Tree!" (Not really, I did pretty well and he didn't have to say much at all.)

Time to Move, Again

Monday morning saw us packed up and moving up the Keys to Key Largo where we will camp in the Key Largo Kampground for a week. It's one of these owner/camper places where most of the sites are privately owned and then rented out to people like us. Its a nice place right next to Pennycamp State Park. Just off their dock are protected mangrove islands with lots of waterways winding through them. We have every intention of doing some major kayaking in there.

Monday afternoon was spent exploring, riding our bikes and relaxing. Tuesday was spent doing laundry and grocery shopping while John went out in his kayak to fish and explore the waters. I also went to the pool and took in the local "color". Most of the people at the pool seem to know everyone and one man liked to give a shout out over the fence to passers-by. I also picked out a nice place for dinner called "Buzzard's Roost". Good food.

Key Colony Beach and Turtles

After I got home from Church today we rode our bikes 8 miles up the road to Key Colony Beach to take in their annual festival. When we were here three years ago we attended it and had a good time. It hasn't changed in three years! They still have a bake sale and silent auction, barracuda races, live music, food booths, and lots of vendors selling art, jewelry, clothes and junk. Just as we got in line for a hamburger it started raining. It only lasted about 20 minutes but it sure cooled the day down and brought up the wind again. It was a long ride back facing into a 20 mph breeze.   

Everyday we go past The Turtle Hospital so today I decided I should check it out. John wasn't interested. The hospital used to be a motel with a salt water swimming pool fed by the ocean. Now that pool holds some of the turtles and the motel rooms are offices and a surgical center. They also have individual tanks for the sicker turtles.

One of the hospital's caretaker described the different turtle found in Florida. Most are loggerheads but you will find some green backs and leather backs and a couple other smaller ones. Their mission is to take care of the sick and damaged turtles as well as to educate us on how pollution, building, boats and trash is harming the turtle populations. Sea turtles eat jelly fish, shrimp, octopus and squid. If anything is floating in the water and resembles any of these animals, the turtle will eat it. They have sick turtles who have eaten so much trash that they get stopped up. When brought into the hospital, they determine they are compacted so they give them Metamucil, oil, bean-o and anything else that will get them moving. Some turtles have been so severely damaged by boat propellers, fishing line and fish hooks that they cannot be released into the wild. They have 13 permanent residents. One is blind, several have paralyzed flippers, one has lost all but one flipper, and several have shells damaged so badly that they cannot dive which is important to get food. But they also have about 15 right now that will be released back at some point.

So, if you ever snag a turtle on a fish line - do not cut the line but bring the turtle to shore and call the hospital. If you see a turtle floating on the surface and not diving, call them. Do not disturb turtle nests because, as it is only 1 out of every 1000 eggs develops into an adult. And never, ever throw anything into the ocean water because a turtle WILL eat it.

It's Cold Out There

All the bad weather that the mid-west has had this past week has now moved down into Florida, specifically, the Keys! Its not as cold but, to us, it does seem cold and it has been very, very windy. We have had to roll up the awning several times, and it has rolled up on its own twice. And then there is the threat of rain. One never knows when, how much and for how long it will rain. Even the weather forecasters can't tell us!

Friday was our 'day apart'. I went shopping and got my hair cut and styled. I bough some new shoes, shorts, and a cool top. My bike ride home was in rain. I had to throw out some shoes but, so far, I've kept all my other clothes. (FYI - John has a 'rule' that if you buy new things, you have to throw out an equal amount of old things. Except, we both break that 'rule'.) John rode his bike about 17 miles, got some snaps to repair a pair of shorts and browsed Home Depot. He got home before the rain started.

Saturday morning I discovered that my driver's license was missing. Sometime last evening at the restaurant it fell out of my purse. After searching and calling the restaurant, I reported it to the police and on Monday I'll have to call the license bureau in Sedalia to see if I can get a new one mailed to me.

We spent most of today trying to find and fix the leak in the Jeep roof. We thought we had it fixed the other day but this morning the floor was sopping wet again. The park had a Luau dinner and dance this evening. The food was good and so was the band. Lots of dancers and dancing.