Having left home on Dec. 8 and returning home on April 1, we have had an interesting and certainly a laid back winter. The weather started off on the chilly side but warmed up nicely in January and pretty much stayed warm the rest of the winter.
We certainly took a circuitous route to get to Florida with some time spent in Arkansas and Texas before heading to North Carolina. From there we traveled along the Atlantic coast with numerous stops until we reached St. Augustine where we spent about 2 weeks in the area. Down the coast a bit further we decided we were tired of the ocean and headed inland for a short time then stopped on the Gulf side for a time near Marco Island.
The first week in February found us as far south as we could go in Key West. Our plan was to stay one week there and then move back up the Keys but one week turned into two weeks and then into three weeks. Who knew we could spend that much time in one place? But we certainly enjoyed the city and the friends we made while there.
One week in Marathon, one week in Key Largo and then to Miami where we met up with our son, daughter-in-law and grandson who were attending a convention in Miami Beach. Of course, we enjoyed our babysitting duties while they took in the convention. We had a week in Ft. Myers Beach tracking in the sand and then turned towards home with a stop in Norman to see our other grandsons.
This trip is vastly different from our winters out west. We stayed in one spot longer, did more bike riding and kayaking, less golfing, and lots of walking. It was an easy going trip with fewer exciting adventures and more relaxing, casual days with fine dining experiences and wine to fill in the evenings.
We both are homesick and ready to be in a large house where we can spread out for awhile. Thank you for joining us this winter. We hope we kept you warm, or at least thinking about being warm.
