Florida Bound

On Friday, November 6 we left for the warmth and sun of Florida. We wanted to wait for the trash collectors, so we could put away the cans, so it was 9 a.m. before we got on the road. Our first destination was Walnut Meadow RV Park in Berea, Kentucky. What a gorgeous day we had--lots of sunshine. It was still cold enough at night to turn on the electric mattress pad and be comfortable. Abby didn’t let either one of us get much sleep that night. She was off the bed and on the bed and meowing the whole night!!! We were ready to sell her real cheap!!

We left Walnut Meadows with the next destination of Cartersville, Georgia which is just 30 minutes north of Atlanta, thinking that going through Atlanta on Sunday morning would be good. We stayed the night at a very nice KOA campground. Surprised to find a great discount for veterans! The weather was getting warmer each day, but still pretty cool at night—about 40 degrees. The colors in Georgia were still quite vibrant, so we did get to enjoy a bit of fall.

Our third stop was in Lake City, Florida at Casey Jones RV Park. It was continuing to warm up and we were able to enjoy being outside a bit before dinner. By this time Abby was MUCH better during the night. She spent most of the time on our bed, but at least she was much calmer. Of course, when the motor home engine starts, she is “out of Dodge” buried somewhere in the bedroom.

On the road again early on Monday, Nov. 9, with Camp Florida RV Resort (our home for the winter) our destination. We arrived there about 2:30 p.m., time enough to get set up and have “happy hour”!

Since we’ve been here we have been quite busy once again. Our first excursion was to the outlet mall in Ellenton. After a “busy” shopping day, we had an excellent dinner at the Oyster Bar restaurant.

When in Florida, one has to do what all retirees do, and that is head for a flea market! The first one we visited was the Red Barn Flea Market in Bradenton and then the following week or so, we HAD to go to Fort Myers flea market. And each time we go, we have to have our dinner out. While here, we average one or two meals out per week. Sure beats heating up the road house!

On that note, the weather here has been quite hot and humid. We’re told that this is an El Nino year and we will get more rain and cooler temperatures for the next several months. Guess we will have to live with that. It’s still better than the cold, ice and snow at home!

Roy decided to try BINGO!  Must have been beginners luck because he won a bingo, AND a 50/50 drawing! Now he’s hooked!! I’m not convinced that I’m ready for “bingo" yet!
OH YEAH, almost forgot our tomato plant! We got it when we first arrived, and it is thriving quite well. Roy went back to the orange grove that he found last year, so we have plenty of fresh oranges, and grapefruit. They are so sweet and juicy. Nothing like the sour “rocks” we get at home. He plans to get his fishing license soon. They are catching some good sized largemouth bass. One of our friends here has told him to get his poles ready! That means a nice trip on one of the many lakes in the area on his bass boat.

Our Christmas tree is up and is looking much better than the once we had last year. My good friend, Bobbi, and I picked this one out at Hobby Lobby in Toledo before we left. It’s neat to walk through the park in the evening and see all the holiday lights! Really, it’s just nice to be able to walk in the evenings and not be freezing!

We've enjoyed the pool these past few weeks, but now it looks like we will be getting cooler weather for the next few days.

On Dec. 16, this past Wednesday, a group of us ventured to a large mall south of Fort Myers. We didn't stay very long as it was quite spread out and took a lot of walking, but it was also very "high end".  We went  on down the road to an outlet mall called Miramar.  Roy found a new pair of walking shoes and a wallet that he liked.  We had a nice lunch at Johnny Rockets, and dinner in Lake Placid.

Once a month there is a pancake breakfast here at Camp Florida.  All the pancakes and sausage you can eat for $4.00.  Can't beat that.

It is quite nice being here where most days are warm and sunny.  We haven't done as much as last year yet, but then a lot of our neighbors will be arriving between Christmas and New Years.  Then we will do some more exploring and our daily "happy hours" will get larger and more interesting.