THE BEST IS YET TO COME...

2012-02-02T18:53:00.002-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Pretty cloudy most of the day today. Last night when we got back from Key West, we walked Bastion—our neighbor’s dog. They worked all day and late into the evening. He’s a great dog. We walked around the lake and stopped at Esther and Gerald’s. I walked him again today. Pretty humid today. We stayed home all day.

Esther and Gerald at the Roof Top Cafe

Stopped at Esther and Gerald's site while walking Bastion last night.
Picture by Esther

2012-02-01T14:51:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Can’t believe it’s February already. We’ve only got 5 weeks left here (sigh). Marcos came and installed our new blinds today. He did a great job. Decided to nix the dinner tonight at the clubhouse. Esther and Gerald are having dinner in Key West tonight and asked us to join them. We’re going to the Roof Top Café. Will be fun.

They don't look that different in the picture. But they sure do in person.

2012-01-31T17:45:00.001-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Another windy, blustery day today. We did our laundry and grocery shopping today instead of Wednesday because we’re getting our new blinds installed tomorrow. After our chores we went to the Square Grouper for lunch. I love this little restaurant. Besides the excellent food, the décor is really nice. I don’t know who did the decorating, but I love it. Came back, put everything away and sat outside reading for a while. The wind made it feel chilly, so I took it inside. Esther stopped over with some pea soup she made yesterday. We’ll have that for dinner tonight. Thanks, Esther, mon ami!

Square Grouper--Cudjoe Key

Love the decor in this place.

Nice, simple lines

Here's a shot of the endangered "square grouper". Also known as dopus and cannabis. The drug smugglers bundled their "product" in these square bundles. If they were being pursued, they'd throw them overboard and then the officials would snare them--hence the expression "fishing for square grouper". So the story goes anyway.

2012-01-30T13:41:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf, FL: Cloudy and windy today. The wind blew up the lake into these salt water frothy things that blew around like little tumbleweeds. I got up late. Mike had already gone over for donuts. I showered and then started the cleaning. Finished up in time for lunch and then Mike headed over for shoes. Happy hour tonight. Even though it’s cloudy and windy, it’s still warm. Somewhere in the 70s I would guess.

2012-01-29T16:08:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: An iffy day today. Threatening rain, but really warm and humid. Decided to drive to Key West and see Red Tails. A good movie about the Tuskegee airmen. They were such good fighter pilots that the bomber groups requested they escort them on bombing missions. And they were all black. A very highly decorated and respected group of airmen that started integration in the military. After the movie we stopped to see Esther and Gerald who were outside. Their site has been all closed up the past few days so we thought they were off doing something. We didn’t stay long. I was miserable because I stuffed myself with popcorn. No dinner for me tonight. Upper 70s today with about 80% humidity.

Key West historic seaport.
Picture by Sandy

Sunset Key
Picture by Sandy

2012-01-28T18:31:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Forecast was for rain today. But it was clear, warm, and humid. We sat around reading and relaxing outside for a while. Then I got antsy so we drove into Key West for the Arts and Crafts Festival on Whitehead St. The gal that cuts my hair had a booth there. She makes purses out of canvas and then paints them—and they are beautiful! She is so creative. After walking around the various booths we had a late lunch at the Rooftop Café and then headed home. On our way out we did a little exploring around Old Town. Stopped at the St. Mary Star of the Sea catholic church on Truman. A beautiful church and grounds built in 1904. Back home and said hi to Ralph and Sharon who just arrived today. 82 today.

St. Mary Star of the Sea catholic church
Key West

Beautiful manicured grounds of the Star of the Sea catholic church.
Key West

St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church
Key West

2012-01-27T15:53:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Around noon we drove over to Geiger Key, parked at the end of the road and walked down to the end of the Boca Chica air strip and watched planes taking off. Very active today. Walked down the path to the “castle” some enterprising individuals built out of rocks and hurricane detritus. The boat the Cubans came over on was gone. Drove back and had lunch at the Geiger Smoke House and Grill. It’s also a marina. There’s a place for boats to tie up and you can also rent kayaks. A beautiful day to be eating right on the water. Back home and relaxed the rest of the day. A nice 82 degree day.

Mikey on a rock wall at the end of the runway.

Sailboat way out in the Atlantic.

Some enterprising person/s built this cairn which is precariously balanced on a rock just below the surface.

They took off four at a time--one had just peeled away.
WOO HOO!!!!!

Like our own private air show!

2012-01-26T18:20:00.001-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: We had a great time at our dinner last night. A few of us hung around to about midnight. I was going to throw the remainder of the rolls we brought to the dinner away but Esther said she’d use them to make French toast and invited all of us over this morning. So we headed over at 11:00 and enjoyed delicious French toast. I was thinking of taking the fixings for mimosas, but figured we’d all done enough drinking. Came back to our site and relaxed reading and dozing. Another great day. Low 80s today.

Picture by Gerald

2012-01-25T16:30:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Today was our domestic chore day—groceries and laundry. Stopped for lunch at Boondocks on the way back. Another gorgeous day—82 and breezy. Ribs tonight at the clubhouse. We’re bringing a bottle of wine to share with Esther and Gerald since we lost another football bet.

Ft. Zach Beach

2012-01-24T17:56:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Rainy again this morning. But not for long. We headed to Big Pine to run some errands. Noticed that Fat Albert was down at the base for maintenance I guess. Decided to drive down Blimp Road to check it out up close—well, as close as you can get to the base. On the way we passed a large backwater where people race their remote-operated boats on Sunday. There was a girl there with her German shepherd, Mac. He loved the water. Took some pics of Fat Albert and then headed back home. By now the sky is clear and the temps are already in the low 80s, so we packed up some drinks and sandwiches and headed to Ft. Zach beach and spent the afternoon sunning, reading, and people watching. One of the guys from our park, Dallas, and his friends were there cooking out. They had lobster, shrimp, sausage, burgers, and key lime pie. They invited us to join them. How generous is that? But we found a picnic table on the edge of the beach in the shade of the Australian pines and set up our beach chairs. Had our sandwiches and relaxed in the sun for a while. Then we walked back to where Dallas and his friends were and chatted them up for a while. Mike had some of the sausage they had on the grill. What a beautiful afternoon though. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Back home and I had a garden salad with grilled chicken and Mike had a salad and a burger. Great day! 82 today.

Mac, the German Shepherd--he's an island dog.

Fat Albert at the base.

Cruise ship sailing past Ft. Zach.

Beautiful Ft. Zach beach.

Schooner America sailing past.

2012-01-23T13:04:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Today was the usual Monday—except that it was raining this morning. Undaunted, Mike went over to the clubhouse for donuts and I started the cleaning. I was just finishing up when Mike returned. Mike went over for shoes in the afternoon and I relaxed outside reading my book and soaking up the sun. Over to the KOA for happy hour. Upper 70s today. Nice.

2012-01-22T15:55:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Pretty quiet in here this morning. Everyone is laying low after last night’s revelry. It was great fun. Howard started playing at 7:00 and played until 10:00. Danced a lot and had a great time. After my morning ablutions I sat outside reading. It was such a beautiful day I had a hard time keeping my mind on the book. My eyes would drift off the page and up to the beautiful blue sky and the palm fronds swaying gently in the breeze. 80 today.

Howard Livingston

2012-01-21T16:47:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Another beautiful morning. We left at 10:00 for breakfast at the Galley Grill. Esther and Gerald decided not to go. As we made our way up the Keys, the sun was glinting off the water, making it look like the ocean was covered in cut glass. So pretty. After breakfast we stopped at the flea market which was packed. And there was a lot of traffic coming out of Key West. Race week is over and they’re hauling all the racing yachts out plus all the support boats. We were so glad to get out of the traffic and out of the crowds. Back home and relaxed the rest of the afternoon. Ray stopped by for a couple of hours. Tonight we go to the KOA pub where Howard and the band are playing.

Former Marine Hospital Commandant's House--Truman Annex
Key West

2012-01-20T18:39:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Another beautiful winter day here in the Florida Keys. So we decided to take the bikes out for a ride. Biked over the Bow Channel bridge onto Cudjoe Key and biked through the Cudjoe Gardens residential area. Some of these homes which were built on spec I guess are still sitting there with weeds coming up through the pavers and the hurricane shutters. Saw a girl walking a cute little golden puppy and stopped to talk to her and pet this cute little puppy. Turns out she’s a professional dog walker and has several clients in the area. Biked for about an hour and a half and then headed back—with the wind at our backs. Relaxed for a while outside reading and relaxing. The sky is a perfect blue with no clouds. Gerald and Esther came by at 4:30 for our obligatory wine event as a result of our bet on the Packers and Giants game. We lost, so we provided the wine. Floyd and Terry stopped by on their way around the lake. Invited Esther and Gerald to join us for breakfast and the flea market tomorrow. Gerald had a cold, so we’ll see if they join us. Howard Livingston is at the KOA tomorrow night also, so it will be a busy day.

Doors of Key West

Flora of Key West

2012-01-19T17:31:00.002-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Really nice this morning. No wind again. We decided to take the bikes out after lunch. In the meantime, I got on the computer to go over my credit card bill and take care of a few other things. Before I knew it, it’s after 12:00. And it had clouded up and gotten chilly. So we decided at the last minute to head to Key West and see “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” which is playing at the Tropic. I can’t begin to describe how bad this movie was. It took place in dismal sections of Paris, Istanbul, and London. In apartments/homes that were dark, dank and dirty. And the plot was so disjointed and convoluted that we never did quite know what was going on. It basically put us both in a stupor. We had a hard time staying awake. Couldn’t wait until it was over. Stepped out of the theater into a bright, sunny afternoon. Took our time walking back to our parking spot. There were three huge yachts docked over by the Eco Center. Probably here for race week. 75 today.

Look at this beautiful tree with the big pink flowers.

Approaching the Truman Annex, we noticed these man-hole covers, which must be really old since they are imprinted with "U S N". The Navy base was started around 1847 to fight pirates. This cover is probably from the WWI era.

2012-01-18T19:27:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: A beautiful morning. No wind. The lake was like a big mirror. Would have been a great day to go biking. But we had to do the laundry, grocery shopping, and I got my hair cut. After all that we had lunch at Pizza Works and then headed home and put everything away. Went to the dinner tonight at the clubhouse. They grilled up some brats and everyone brought something. Sat with Esther and Gerald and Michelle who is in the site across from us. A great dinner. Finished off a bottle of red we bought in California. Back in time to see Harry’s Law. 82 today.

Schooner Jolly Rover

2012-01-17T16:06:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Pretty warm today. Sat outside for a while reading. Didn’t feel too swift because I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night. Alcohol related I’m sure. Mike grilled up some chicken breasts and I made a corn casserole and cooked up some broccoli for dinner. Yum. 78 today.

2012-01-17T10:35:00.001-06:00

Mon, 1/16/12:
Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: A bright, sunny day, but cool again. The guy from Key West came out and measured our windows for the new blinds we’re getting. After he left I finished up the cleaning and Mike went over to play shoes. I relaxed inside the rest of the day reading my latest book. Wasn’t that enthused about going to happy hour, but we picked up Esther and Gerald at 5:00 and headed over to the KOA. After a couple of drinks there with the group, the four of us went to Mangrove Mama’s for more drinks and some Shrimp St. Jacques. Left around 10:00 and came home. Low 70s today.

2012-01-15T16:27:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Sunny but cool again today. We decided to head to Key West to see “War Horse”. A pretty good movie. A long movie—over 2 hours. Stopped to see Esther and Gerald on our way home. Didn’t stay long because we wanted to watch the Green Bay/Giants football game. Esther and Gerald are rooting for the Giants, we’re rooting for Green Bay. Whoever loses buys the wine. Told them we want a nice Cabernet. 71 today.

Yeah, right...

2012-01-15T07:24:00.003-06:00

Sat, 1/14/12

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Cold and windy today. We didn’t even go out. Were going to meet Sandy and Dan for breakfast as they were driving out of the Keys, but she still wasn’t feeling great. So we watched movies, basketball and, football and ate left-overs. 68 today.

Chickens of Key West

2012-01-13T17:43:00.001-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Started out cloudy this morning but cleared off some. Left for Key West around 1:00 and met up with Sandy and Dan. Sandy, Mike, and I walked over to the Curry Mansion—home of the first millionaire in Key West. Did the self-guided tour. In the huge attic in this historic home they had a pool table—from an outfit in Syracuse, NY. Sandy and I played pool for a while. Well, we tried anyway. Left there and walked down Caroline so I could check out a Key West bracelet I had seen advertised. Then we walked back to the Galleon and saw a couple of the racing sailboats coming in. Next week is race week in Key West. Decided to get something to eat at the Galleon Tiki Bar. Ordered some sandwiches and Sandy started feeling really bad. So she went up to their room to lie down. So, we called it a night. Hope she is okay. 75 today. Saw a huge yacht coming in—probably here for the races.

This guy was busy cleaning the mast of one of the racing sailboats.

Sailboat racing

2012-01-12T21:53:00.001-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf, FL: Cloudy most of the morning. After lunch we drove back to Key West to meet up with Sandy and Dan. Played a couple of games of Spades and then we walked over to Alonzo’s for some dinner. Back to their hotel and we played Trivial Pursuit until about 9:30. Then we drove back home. It started pouring rain. Rained pretty hard all the way home. It was supposed to have been sunny all day today. Oh well. 78 today.

Sunset Key

2012-01-12T21:45:00.000-06:00

Wed, 1/11/12

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Today is our laundry/grocery shopping day. So, we headed to Big Pine and got that out of the way. Had lunch at the Galley Grill and then drove home and put everything away. Drove back to Key West to meet up with Sandy and Dan. Played Spades and then Trivial Pursuit. Walked down to Two Sisters for dinner and then back for more Trivial Pursuit. Stormed for a while today, but it didn’t last long. Driving back to our park it was still 77.

Sunset Key

2012-01-10T20:49:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: A beautiful day today. We had reservations for lunch at Latitudes on Sunset Key. So we headed to Key West around noon and met Sandy and Dan by the Westin to wait for the ferry over to the island. Took the 1:15 ferry and had to go around the cruise ship Carnival Magic to get out to the island. There were two cruise ships in and lots of people around town. Had a great lunch and Sandy and I walked around the island while Mike and Dan sat in the outside bar waiting for us. Took the ferry back and walked back to the Galleon and played Spades and Trivial Pursuit. Sandy and Dan beat us badly at Spades, and Dan won again at Trivial. We (Sandy and I) cheated like mad, but Dan still won. Mike came in second. Low 80s today. Another full moon as we drove back with the moon reflecting off the water and bathing everything in moonlight. Still 75 at 9:00.

On the streets of Sunset Key

Carnival Magic

2012-01-09T22:23:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Did the cleaning this morning and Mike went over and played shoes in the afternoon. Left for Key West at about 4:00 to meet up with Sandy and Dan. Picked them up at their hotel and then we walked to Pepe’s for dinner. After dinner we walked back to the Galleon and played Trivial Pursuit in one of their game rooms. Dan won AGAIN (sigh). Drove back shortly after 10:00. A beautiful evening with a full moon. 78 today.

2012-01-08T20:55:00.001-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: My sister, Sandy, and her husband, Dan, got in late last night. They’re spending a week in Key West. So we headed to the Galleon in Key West where they’re staying and the four of us walked over to Azur for breakfast. Walked back to the Galleon and played Trivial Pursuit for a while. Dan won. There was a girl in the Tiki Bar with the cutest parrot. Took pictures with him. He was so friendly. After our game we went over to the Rum Barrel and had a bite to eat and then Mike and I headed back home. Saw a pretty bad accident on Hwy. 1. But then we seem to always see bad accidents on that road. A beautiful day today. 78 I think. And a beautiful full moon tonight bathing everything in moonlight.

My sister, Sandy, and the cute parrot.

2012-01-07T17:58:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Today around 1:00 we headed to Key West to Home Depot. We took Gerald and Esther with us. They wanted to look for bamboo fencing for their site and we wanted to check out faux wood blinds for the fifth wheel. Had lunch at the Stoned Crab after our shopping foray. Back to the park and dropped off Esther and Gerald and their stuff. Had a drink with them and sat around for a while. Back home and watched our Netflix movie, “Larry Crowne,” with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. When we were in LA they were setting up for the red carpet premiere of this movie. Cute movie. 78 today.

Kodak Theater in Hollywood

Setting up for the red carpet premiere of Larry Crowne with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts

2012-01-06T16:32:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: There aren’t enough adjectives to describe the play we saw last night. It was a hysterically funny dark comedy about a dysfunctional Oklahoma family. The acting was superb. All local talent. This theater is rated the best in the state. I can see why. For the first time we had a hard time finding a place to park. Started at the little lot on Mallory Square. Got in there but no place to park and nowhere to turn around. So Mike had to back out. Then we headed to the Westin garage. That was full. We thought…”what the hell is going on?” Finally we went back to a lot near Caroline, parked and walked back to the theater. When we got to Mallory Square we saw the problem. They’re setting up a boxing ring for a big fight ESPN is broadcasting live tonight. Right in Mallory Square. The normal Fight Night isn’t until next Friday. And, you couldn’t even view the sunset last night because there were a couple of cruise ships in blocking the view. Usually that’s not allowed—they have to leave by at least 4:00. Maybe they’re here for the fight as well. And, driving home last night we noticed the “HO HO HO” Christmas decoration on the three homes on the water at Sugarloaf is now “2 0 1 2”. Ya gotta love their sense of humor. Chilly again today. I had my polartech on all day.

Sunset on Roosevelt Blvd. last night.

2012-01-05T15:25:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Cold again last night and chilly all day today. Beautiful, sunny, and breezy. Mike didn’t get up until almost noon! Really good that he slept that long. While I was waiting for him to get up I got on the computer and completed the on-line declaration for my personal property tax. It’s great that we can do that on-line now. We head down to Key West tonight to the Waterfront Theater to see “August: Osage County.” It’s getting rave reviews. 66 today. Brrrr!

This tiny, intimate theater (seats 150) on Mallory Square used to be an ice warehouse--circa 1880.

2012-01-04T19:51:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Really chilly again this morning. Really wanted to sleep in, but the sun was shining bright and it motivated me to get up and get going. Did the laundry and grocery shopping. Had lunch and came back and relaxed. Too chilly to sit outside. Supposed to be a steady warming trend though. Low 60s today I think. The water was a beautiful blue/green.

2012-01-03T17:45:00.001-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Chilly and windy this morning. Didn’t want to get out from under the covers, but Mike finally got a doctor appointment this morning, so we were off to Big Pine. After his appointment we stopped at Walgreens to get his prescription filled and then back home. Decided to go see a movie. Saw “The Descendents” at the Tropic Cinema in Key West. A pretty good movie about your basic, dysfunctional family—which I’m sure we can all relate to. When we got back to the park, Esther and Gerald were out, so we walked over and visited with them for a while. Supposed to get down into the 40s tonight. It only got up to 67 today. And there are still a lot of holiday vacationers in town. Lots of people and traffic. Hopefully next week it will calm down.

This beautiful brigantine was docked over by the old sub base. It's a research vessel out of Woods Hole Oceanographic. They've sailed out to the Dry Tortugas twice since they've been down here. What a beautiful way to go out there!

2012-01-02T14:04:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Mostly sunny day today. Some thin clouds moving in way up there in the ether. Got the cleaning done early and then relaxed outside reading for a while. A definite chill in the air. Cold front moving through today. Mike went over to play shoes and I watched some bowl games. One poor guy got some teeth knocked out. Ouch! Happy hour tonight. Back home for left-over turkey dinner though. 70s today.

One that escaped the slaughter.

2012-01-01T19:32:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: A beautiful day to start the new year. We didn’t do much. Had a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Watched a Netflix movie, “Rounders” with Matt Damon. Stuffed ourselves. Our Canadian friends, Esther and Gerald, stopped by later in the afternoon. Cracked a bottle of red and we sat around talking and reminiscing. A great way to start the new year—sharing wine with friends.

2011-12-31T21:00:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: A beautiful, pristine day under a clear blue sky. We had an early dinner in Marathon right on the Atlantic with a beautiful view of the setting sun. I had crab stuffed yellow tail snapper and Mike had hog fish with scallops and shrimp—all topped off with a creamy key lime sauce. After dinner we planned on stopping at the KOA Pub to see the band, Reach. Mike started feeling bad again, so he dropped me off and then went home. I stayed for a couple of hours and then walked home beneath a sky sparkling with stars. A beautiful, balmy night. Still in the 70s.

The last sunset of 2011.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T22:51:00.002-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Drove to the Publix in Key West this morning to pick up a turkey breast for our New Years dinner. I also checked out some new faux wood blinds for the RV. Around 3:30 we headed back to Key West to the San Carlos Theater for a concert--it was actually more of a jam session. Had dinner at Mangoes on Duval and then we headed to the San Carlos. Picked up our tickets and got our seats. The show started at 7:00. John and his wife sat with us. The show was excellent. This small, intimate little theater was perfect for this venue. The performers included James Slater, song writer, singer, and piano player; husband and wife duo,Joey and Rory, country song writers and singers extraordinaire; and of course Howard Livingston—just Howard and his guitar, no band. After the show we walked down to the Smokin’ Tuna where Howard and the rest of the performers were headed. Had one drink and left. Mike still not feeling great. Fun night. 82 today.

The beautiful, historic San Carlos Theater

This historic building used to be a school. It was built by the Cuban government and they taught in both Spanish and English. It was one of the first bi-lingual integrated schools in the country.

A great line from one of James Slater's songs--there is no town drunk in Key West. We all take turns! That about sums it up.

2011-12-29T17:36:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Had set up an appointment with Stanley Steemer to do the carpets tomorrow, but they showed up today which is better anyway. He did a great job. After he left we pretty much stayed inside. Chilly today. And Mike still not feeling really great. Watched a couple of movies on Lifetime. Made chili for dinner. Good night for it. 71 today, but really sunny.

Schooner Jolly Rover

2011-12-28T18:53:00.001-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: I was laying in bed last night watching the Kennedy Honors special when a scroll came across the bottom of the TV screen indicating a tornado warning for the lower Keys. Switched over to the Weather Channel, and sure enough, a water spout had been sighted and it was bearing down on us. Was supposed to hit Shark Key in 5 minutes and Sugarloaf Key in 10 minutes. So I got up, dressed, and headed over to the shower house—the only building here with cinder block construction. Started raining while I was walking over. Now I’m wet, cold, and miserable. Thankfully, nothing ever happened. Mike walked over with an umbrella after he took the awning down and put the chairs away. He was soaked also. And the roads in the park all flooded. After the rain let up we walked back. Today we took care of the laundry and grocery shopping. We were supposed to go over to the KOA to see Howard and the band, but Mike not feeling so great and it’s really cooled down. 68 today. We’re going to see him at the San Carlos Theater on Friday anyway.

2011-12-27T15:56:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: We took out our bikes and biked down to the burned out bridge—the old state road past the KOA. The pavement ends after a mile or two and the conditions deteriorate rapidly—with lots of ruts and pot holes. But at least it hadn’t rained much lately so there were no water hazards. A pretty bumpy ride at times, and I was worried about my camera which I had in my bike basket, not to mention my butt, but we made it down there. The current in the channel here is pretty fast at times. Seemed pretty good today. There was a couple down there in their personal water craft who had just gone for a swim. Talked with them for a while. They’re staying at the KOA. Told them about the MM24 band playing there tomorrow night. Biked back and stopped at the KOA pub and had a couple of sodas and talked with Lee, the bartender, for a while. Back home and relaxed the rest of the evening. Cold front coming through tonight. 81 today.

This beautiful gated property is at the end of the paved section of road--right on the Atlantic. Very peaceful and quiet down there at the end of the road surrounded by nature.

Mike on his bike.

Such a pretty ride. Hard to believe it used to be a major road back in the day.

The old burned out bridge and channel.

A couple and their daughter in their personal water craft--had just gone for a swim.

2011-12-26T19:13:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf, FL: A beautiful, sunny day. Sat outside reading, relaxing, and snoozing. Bastion, the dog belonging to the couple across from us, came over for a while. They were washing their RV and he didn’t want to be anywhere near that hose. He’s a really good dog. Today was cleaning day for me, and Mike went over and played shoes at 1:00. He’s still not feeling so great. No happy hour tonight. Watched the Missouri bowl game. They creamed North Carolina.

Beautiful Christmas eve sunset.

2011-12-25T19:20:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Had a wonderful Christmas dinner at the clubhouse today. The park cooked up 70 pounds of pork butt, someone brought meatloaf, shrimp, crab claws ,lots of salads, appetizers and desserts. We brought a pumpkin pie and a corn casserole and had the fixings for mimosas. Really good. Stuffed ourselves. Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T18:45:00.002-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: I was on the computer this morning waiting for Mike to get up. He finally rolled out at 9:30! He must have needed the sleep. Then I showered, dressed, and headed outside. It actually rained a little this morning. But cleared off quickly and turned into another pristine day. Spent the morning outside blabbing with people that stopped by. Then around 3:00 we headed to Key West. Stopped at the Blue Mohito Bar in the Hyatt. Didn’t much like the bar, so we walked down to the Mallory Square area to see if any yachts were in. No yachts. So we stopped at the Westin on the waterfront, had a couple of drinks, an appetizer and watched the schooners heading out for their sunset sails. What a beautiful evening to watch the sun sink into the sea. 82 today. No party at the clubhouse this year. We had so much fun last year.

Saw this huge bird in a tree down in Key West. Think it's an osprey. After viewing this wildlife, we headed to Mallory to view the other wildlife.

Schooner Appledore heading out for a sunset sail.

Beautiful night for watching the sun sink into the sea.

2011-12-23T19:34:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: A beautiful, sunny morning. A few small clouds drifted over and kept right on going. Not much wind either. So, after my morning ablutions I went for a walk. Mike opted out since he’s fighting a cold. Walked down Johnson Road and over to the Bow Channel bridge and back. Took a bag with me and picked up trash along the road. Did my good deed for the day. Came back and had some breakfast and sat outside reveling in this beautiful day. Made pasta for dinner. 82 today. We actually had the AC on this afternoon. Warm and humid.

2011-12-22T17:25:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: It actually rained a little this morning. Started out sunny, then a front moved through and then the rain. Didn’t last long though and it was really warm. Headed back to Big Pine Key to pick up a few things for our Christmas dinner at the clubhouse. Had lunch on the water at The Wharf. The afternoon was warm and breezy. I sat outside reading for a couple of hours while Mike played spades on the computer. 82 today. It’s been a really warm winter so far.

Love the gingerbread trim on this cute house.

2011-12-21T19:50:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Another fantastically beautiful day today. Unfortunately, we had to do the laundry and grocery shopping. So we headed to Big Pine Key and got that done, had lunch at Pizza Works, and then back home. Put everything away and then relaxed outside. A couple of years ago the park planted banana trees and they’ve been producing bananas like crazy. They give a lot of them away. They’re different than the ones you buy in the grocery store. They’re flatter in shape, bigger around, and they taste sweeter. I love being where bananas grow. 81 today.

2011-12-20T17:50:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Not a great day today. Got up early and on the computer to take care of some stuff. It didn’t want to cooperate with me. I had to re-boot several times to be able to print, etc. At any rate, I spent the whole morning and then some. Decided to go have a drink and some lunch. Came back and sat outside reading for a while. Then came back in and finished up on the computer. Sometimes I want to throw the thing in the lake. 80 today.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

2011-12-19T12:35:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Another spectacular day in store for us—albeit windy. After my shower I got the cleaning out of the way. Made my smoothie and sat outside for a couple of hours reading about the Kennedy’s and watching large, puffy, white clouds scudding across a beautiful blue sky. Happy hour at the KOA pub tonight and then probably on to Boondocks. 80 today.

Beautiful Keys sunset--New Year's Eve 2010

2011-12-18T18:07:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Doug from the site across from us stopped over this morning with their dog, Bastion. After they left I went for a walk while Mike went out and got a paper. Later on Ray stopped by with his dog, Munch. We always have dog treats on hand. Craig even stopped by for a while. The rest of the day we kicked back reading and relaxing. Mike grilled up some steaks and I cooked up some sweet corn for dinner. Very good. 80 today. It's been a great winter so far!

2011-12-17T19:21:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: A beautiful morning. We went to the Galley Grill for breakfast and then on to the flea market at Big Pine Key. Not all the vendors are there yet—probably won’t be until after the New Year. Drove down to the Blue Hole and saw a couple of Key Deer. One was really tiny. Our evening last night was great. After the show we walked around and enjoyed all the Christmas decorations. Key West is transformed at night with all the twinkling holiday lights. It was wonderful walking around—temperature was 77! Perfect!

The group at dinner. Mike, Debbie, Craig, John, and Sandy

Holiday decorations

Beautiful!

2011-12-16T11:54:00.003-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: A mix of clouds and sun today—but mostly pristine blue sky. I noticed Fat Albert was really low this morning. I would love to know what electronics are in that thing. It looks really small at 10,000 feet, but when you see it in its “cradle” on the ground it is quite huge. Heading to Key West tonight for dinner at Michael’s and then going to see “Fantazimo”--the annual holiday burlesque show at the old Key West Armory on White Street, which is now a theater. We’re going with two other couples—Debbie and Craig, and Sandy and John. We’re taking Debbie with us, since Craig works at the Eco Center in Key West so he won’t have to come all the way home. We’re all meeting at the restaurant and then walking up to the Armory. Should be a fun night. I know the dinner will be awesome.

Fat Albert being brought down for maintenance, probably. Viewed from our back window.

This thing is held in place by a single cable--probably very big cable. And the locals tell us that this rather large blimp (I guess) broke loose of its tether while being lowered in anticipation of a thunder storm and skittered along through the Keys, dragging the cable and wreaking havoc as it went. Took out the telephone poles and electric lines as it crossed Hwy 1 before they finally got it under control. Another time it got loose it headed towards Cuba and they actually scrambled some fighter jets to shoot the thing down. A Coast Guard cutter managed to get the cables affixed to the rear of their ship and it actually started taking the ship out of the water. Not sure how true these stories are. But they are great stories.

Another view of Fat Albert

2011-12-15T20:50:00.001-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Lots of clouds today. And windy again. In the afternoon we headed to Key West to see “New Year’s Eve”. A really entertaining movie—which was a delightful surprise since there were so many A-list stars in it. Usually when there are those many stars in a movie it’s not that great. After the movie we drove around Old Town and checked out the Christmas lights on the homes and boats—and even some bikes were decorated up. Around 80 today.

Our favorite Christmas decoration down here. These three homes right on the water each have a huge "H O" displayed in lights--slightly obscured by the mangroves.

2011-12-14T18:21:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: After what should have been a quick stop at the doctor this morning, we did the laundry and grocery shopping—in Key West instead of Big Pine. They made me wait two hours. I was really in a bad mood after that. After getting the laundry and shopping out of the way, we stopped at the Stoned Crab again for lunch. Too windy today to eat outside though. Sunny and nice, but the WIND! Back home, put everything away, and I took a nap. Mike heading over to movie night tonight at the clubhouse. “Return to the Planet of the Apes” is being shown. I opted to stay here.

Look at this cocky fellow.

2011-12-13T15:14:00.001-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Stayed close to home today. Sandy and John stopped by. Sandy plays the harmonica with some of the bands around the area. She’s trying to get me to play some back-up with my keyboard. I got the thing out and we fooled around with it for a while. There is no way I would attempt to play back-up—even with the Lazy Lakes Trailer Trash Band. We lost track of time I guess. Mike was outside talking with John when I looked at the clock and realized it was 11:20. Mike had a 12:00 dentist appointment and he hadn’t even taken a shower yet. So a bunch of running around ensued and he left for the dentist. I sat outside reading most of the afternoon. Really windy today. But nice. We were supposed to go to the Looe Key Tiki Bar for jam night tonight, but I’m sure Mike would rather just take it easy tonight.

Some of the revelers from the Smokin' Tuna
(Sandy, Joan, Debbie)(picture by John)

The streets of Key West

2011-12-12T20:08:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Headed to Key West around noon to do some shopping and after we got that done we stopped at the Stoned Crab at Ibis Bay to have some lunch. This place is kind of special since my mother stayed here in the 70s—at that time it was called The Blue Lagoon. Anyway, we had a great lunch there. I had a couple of glasses of wine, so I was feeling no pain—and tonight is happy hour. So I had a hangover before we even got to happy hour. Undaunted, I enjoyed a margarita and Mike had a bloody mary. We came home in time for Monday night football—St. Louis Rams and the Seattle Seahawks. We NEVER beat the Seahawks! A beautiful day today—80s.

Sun drenched bougainvillea

Doors of Key West

2011-12-11T18:18:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: We stayed in our “cave” all day today. After all the walking around, dancing and reveling yesterday we were pooped. I ventured out of our site once and ran into Craig. We had talked last night about getting together to go see a burlesque show in Key West next weekend with he and Debbie. He said for me to check it out on-line and maybe the four of us could go. That would be fun! Mixed cloudy and sunny today. Warm and humid. Can’t believe the packers are winning yet another one! I wonder if anyone will beat them?

2011-12-10T21:38:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Headed down to Key West today around 1:00 and had a late breakfast at Azur. Then walked over to the Smokin’ Tuna Saloon just off Duval and met up with some other people from the park. Howard Livingston and the MM24 Band were performing there. Had a great time. Danced with a bunch of people I didn’t even know. Howard finished at 5:30 and we had some dinner at a place on Duval with two other couples. Then we split up. The other two couples went over to the Hog’s Breath and we walked down to Key West Bight. The lighted boat parade starts at 8:00 tonight. We walked around the wharf area for a while which was packed with people in various stages of inebriation. We parked the truck on the roof of the three-story parking garage on Grinnel after breakfast because that’s the best place to view the boat parade. So we walked back there to get out of the madding crowd. A bunch of locals were up there on the roof with their wine, champagne, and snacks. We stopped and picked up some sodas and oreos. Oh yeah, we’re classy. The view was spectacular from up there. There were boats of all shapes and sizes and the decorations were impressive. The night was warm and breezy—with a full moon. Doesn’t get any better than that!

Breakfast at Azur

Howard and the band.

Schooner Appledore all decorated for the parade.

2011-12-09T16:31:00.001-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: The guys came over this morning to clean the fifth wheel. Right after they started it poured down rain. They got soaked. They finished washing it and then left to wash another one and were going to come back after lunch to wax the cap. While they were gone we drove to Big Pine Key and picked up our bikes. They’re all fixed up now and we’re ready to do some biking. Got really warm and humid. I sat outside reading for a while and they showed up and waxed the cap. It sure looks good. For now at least. Watched the second disc of “The Kennedys” series last night. Really good! We’re staying in tonight and letting cable TV wash over us.

Doors of Key West

2011-12-08T20:18:00.000-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Cloudy and chilly this morning. No shorts today. Transferred the bikes to the truck and took them up to Big Pine Key to get them tuned up. They’ve been on the back of the RV all summer. Dropped them off and had lunch at the Galley Grill. Back home and I sat outside for a while reading—in jeans and a hoodie sweatshirt. Cleared off but only 71 today. A big controversy going on down here. They’re killing all the Iguanas. To me, they’re harmless herbivores that give this place an exotic feel. To the locals they’re a pest that eats their plants. I’ve only seen them eating grass. We used to see a lot of them in the park, but have seen none so far this year. Seems harsh to me, but what do I know? What's next--the key deer?

The disappearing Iguanas of the Florida Keys

Are the Key Deer next?

2011-12-07T19:22:00.002-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf Key, FL: Cloudy this morning, and really humid all night last night. Not complaining though. We headed to Big Pine to do the laundry and grocery shopping. After I got the laundry started I went next door and got my hair cut. This gal decided I needed something different, so she gave me a stacked bob. And I like it. After finishing the laundry we had lunch at the Galley Grill and then went home and put everything away. By now the clouds had dissipated and the sky was clear and blue. Not much wind, so the no-see’ums kept Mike inside. We decided to go to Mangrove Mama’s for some margaritas and invited Terry and Floyd. Picked them up at 5:00, pulled into Mangrove Mama’s and were told they were closed for a private party. Soooo, we drove to Summerland Key and had drinks and dinner at The Wharf which is on a quay where some of the commercial fishermen come in. A beautiful, calm, warm evening dining under the stars. Back into the park and stopped at Carol and Ray’s site and checked out their Christmas decorations. Mid-80s today.

Morada Bay, Islamorada

Another beautiful Keys sunset.

2011-12-06T14:07:00.001-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, SugarloafKey, FL: Another beautiful day under a clear blue sky. Two young guys who are working for the RVcleaning/detailing outfit down here this winter had pulled into the site nextto us yesterday. Nice guys, and theyhave a little dog, Sparkie. But therental RV in this site was too small for them so they moved down a fewsites. I was talking to them thismorning when I walked down there. Theyalready have a lot of business just in this park—ours will be one of the firstI hope. Ours is in desperate need of acleaning on the outside. Most of theirbusiness will come from the KOA just a mile or so from our park. At happy hour last night a couple of othersexpressed an interest in getting their units cleaned. So they’ll be busy. Speaking of happy hour, about 20 peopleshowed up and it was great catching up. One couple is from New York where they have a summer home on a lake in the Adirondacks and they spend the wintersdown here. After several drinks at theKOA pub a few of us drove up to Boondocks on Ramrod Key and had somedinner. I sat outside reading part of theday today, feeling the warm sun and tropical breezes on my skin. Looking to be a great winter down here whichwill pass all too quickly. Low 80stoday.

Doors of Key West

Our little lake--used to be a quarry

2011-12-05T15:19:00.001-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, SugarloafKey, FL: A beautiful, sunny, breezy day. Idid the cleaning. Mike called a doctorto see about getting an appointment. They said they’d get back to him, but never did. We’re heading over tothe pub at the KOA next to us for some drinks and then probably on to Boondocksfor dinner. 80s today.

Little cottage in Key West

Pub at the KOA

2011-12-04T17:26:00.001-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, SugarloafKey, FL: Ray and Jo stopped by with cookies she had just baked. Chocolate chunk oatmeal with cherries andapricots. Really good! After they left Mike went up and got a Sundaypaper and we kicked back the rest of the morning. We watched the first three episodes of “TheKennedys” last night. Really good. Mike walked the Netflix up to the outgoingmail in the office. And Dale stopped bywith a beautiful bouquet of orchids from his garden. Thanks, Dale! Watched Tiger play golf all afternoon. And he won! Had spaghetti fordinner. 80 today.

Beautiful bouquet of orchids Dale brought over.

"Fat Albert" the spy balloon keeping an eye on the waters around the Keys.

2011-12-03T16:39:00.001-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, SugarloafKey, FL: A mixed bag today. Started out clear, then clouded up, thencleared up. But it hit 80 today, so allis good. We drove to Big Pine Key andhad lunch at our favorite pizza joint. Then drove down to the blue hole. No gators. Saw a Key Deer though. So far this year, 139 Key Deer have beenkilled! I wonder how many are left? After lunch we headed back on Hwy. 1 andabout mile marker 22 the traffic came to an abrupt stop. Sat there for a while. Finally we got going again and we passed theaccident scene—a truck and a car flipped and were in a gully on the side of theroad. We’ve seen a lot of accidents onthis road in the 7 years we’ve been coming down here. Got back finally and walked around thelake. Stopped at Captain Bill’s site andhe invited us in. He has created abeautiful spot. They live here yearround. Continued on around the lake andstopped in the clubhouse and sat around talking with a bunch of people wehadn’t seen in a while. Then the mailcame, we picked up our Netflix and headed back to our site. Watched Tiger play golf.

Ft. Zach

2011-12-02T16:48:00.001-06:00

Lazy Lakes RV Park, SugarloafKey, FL: This morning it was rather cloudy, but it quickly cleared off to reveal apristine blue sky. Breezy—but then itusually is down here. And, oh, it was sonice and warm last night. Think the lowwas 70. That’s what we’re talkingabout! After lunch we made our firstforay into Key West. Parked in the lot by the old subbase and walked through Truman Annex and up to the Tropic Cinema to see J.Edgar. I thought it was really good. Probably Academy Award nominations forDeCaprio and his co-star. Think it was76 today. A gradual warm-up is on theway.

Chickens of Key West

The iconic Marilyn Monroe
Metal sculpture in front of the Tropic

2011-12-01T18:07:00.001-06:00

W. P. Franklin Corps of Engineers Campground, Ft. Myers, FL, to Lazy Lakes RV Park, Sugarloaf,FL: Left this morning at 9:00. Instead of taking I-75, we tookRt. 78 east to 80 east and then Rt. 29 south through the beautiful Big

Cyprus

National Preserve—which isthe last refuge for the beleaguered Florida panther. Not sure how many of them are left. Picked up I-75 east and then turned off onI-27 south. My back was killing me, so Ipulled off at about 12:30 and Mike took overdriving. Got on the Florida’s Turnpike, gassed up at oneof the service centers, and then got on Rt. 1 down into the Keys. Worked our way down through the beautiful, turquoise waters of the Keys. We crossed over the 7-mile bridge and put aHoward Livingston CD on and rocked on down. When we got onto Big Pine Key a KeyDeer ran across the road in front of us and we almost hit it! Pulledinto Lazy Lakes at 3:00. 6 hours! Asked if there were any sites down from uswhere we could turn around, and they said there were a couple on the lakeside. So we pulled down and tried toback into one of the sites down from us and turn around, but there was noroom. So, Mike had to back all the wayback around the loop and we finally turned around and backed all the wayin. The problem is Craig’s motor homeacross from us which doesn’t allow us enough room to pull in and back into oursite. We have to either turn around orback all the way in. Poor Mike! We finally made it into our site by 4:20. An hour and 20 minutes! We weren’t set up until 5:20. Then we headed to MangroveMama’s for several drinks and dinner. We’re finally here! Yes! And we have full cable for the first time ina month. We’ll let cable wash over ustonight. 69 when we pulled into Lazy Lakes.

Bon Appetit!

2011-11-30T12:10:00.001-06:00

W. P. Franklin Corps of Engineers Campground, Ft. Myers, FL: Chilly this morning, butbright and sunny. The river was so calmit looked like glass. The cattle in thepasture across from us were happily grazing away, and the eagle was on hislofty perch surveying it all. Beautifulmorning! But it wasn’t to last. The clouds rolled in, the wind picked up, andit definitely chilled down. We meet someinteresting people when we’re out doing this. The guy in the motor home next to us sets up his rowing machine and rowsfor an hour every morning. Needless today, he’s in great shape. The couple onthe other side of us are from Maine. They fly down here several times a year, pickup their car and camper in a storage place in Tampa and spend about 6 weeks in Florida. They do this several times a year. He works from home, so I guess anywhere hehas an Internet connection he can conduct business. His wife no longer works. And, they’re pretty young. Then we got talking to a woman walking hercute little Pomeranian. She’s originallyfrom

Switzerland

, met her husband at Yale (she has a nursing degree from Yale) who endedup a speech writer for several presidents—from Reagan on down to Bush. They lived in St. Thomas for a while and haveseveral homes. Left here around 2:30 to have dinner with Ron andJan. Ron grilled some steaks and Janmade a potato salad, followed by strawberry shortcake for dessert. Very nice! Drove back and stopped to fuel up. Tomorrow morning we leave for the Keys. Low 70s today.

See the eagle way up there on his perch?

River was like glass this morning.

Another view of that beautiful ranch across the river from us.

2011-11-29T17:48:00.001-06:00

W. P. Franklin Corps of Engineers Campground, Ft. Myers, FL: Sunny, chilly, and windy today. We spent the morning taking careof our taxes and other things on-line. Sat outside reading for a while. Before dinner we walked over to a ranch across the road from theentrance to our park. They have llamas,donkeys, and miniature ponies. They wereso friendly, running over to the fence and allowed us to pet them—in fact,demanded that we pet them. Except forthe llamas. They were a little aloof. Supposed to get pretty chilly tonight.

Cute little donkey

Miniature ponies came running up to get petted

2011-11-28T17:46:00.001-06:00

W. P. Franklin Corps of Engineers Campground, Ft. Myers, FL: Drove down to Sanibel Island around noon. We were going to take the bikesand bike the island, but nixed that when I woke up with a headache thatwouldn’t quit. Besides the wind reallypicked up and it was pretty blustery. Wegot on the island around 1:00 and dined al fresco on theback deck at Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille. Doc Ford is the main character in the novels by Randy Wayne White (saythat fast three times). Randy is a wellknown author here in Florida and his stories center around various locales in southern Florida—but mostly in Sanibel. In fact, he used to sell fish from this verybuilding, as he used to run fishing charters out of Tarpon Bay Marina, just up the road from whatis now the restaurant. The food was verygood. I had coconut-encrusted,pan-seared yellow tail snapper served over rice pilaf with a medley of juliennevegetables. Washed down with an Island Mojito—rum, mint, limejuice, sugar and soda water. Mike had apork chop with cheese grits, which had the consistency of mashed potatoes. After lunch we drove back on McGregor throughthe older section of Ft. Myers. Stopped at a produce stand topick up a few things just as the rain started. A couple of guys in a sailboattied up to the pilings in the river just in front of our site. Just in time too, as it started rainingpretty good—the eagle keeping a watchful eye on them. 84 when we got to Sanibel. 73 as the front came through.

Eagle was back this morning--crows didn't like it.

Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille--Sanibel Island

Coconut-encrusted, pan seared yellow tail snapper, served on a bed of rice pilaf and julienne vegetables

Ft. Myers is called the City of Palms--McGregor Blvd. is lined on both sides with Royal Palms

2011-11-27T16:13:00.001-06:00

Lake Manatee State Park, Bradenton, FL, to W. P. FranklinCorps of Engineers Campground, Ft. Myers, FL: Left Lake Manatee this morning underclear blue skies. Only about a 2 hourdrive to Ft. Myers. We were all ensconced by 12:00. My brother, Ron, and his wife,Jan, came over and I made some chili. Wesat around outside enjoying this beautiful day. They left shortly after dinner. Ron gets up at the crack of dawn to go into work. While we were sitting outside later the eaglecame back to his favorite perch in the tree across the river from us. He’s been here every year we stay here. A really pretty park on the Caloosahatchee River surrounded by really nicecattle and horse ranches and some really nice homes. Mid-80s today.

Our resident eagle

Beautiful, isn't he?

Our pretty site right on the river.

People in this really nice boat came by to check out the eagle.

2011-11-26T15:24:00.001-06:00

Lake Manatee State Park, Bradenton, FL: Another really nice daytoday. After lunch we went back to theGamble Plantation to take the tour. Construction ofthis Greek revival style mansion was started in 1843. At one time Gamble owned 3500 acres. His was the largest sugar mill in thearea. He owned 180 slaves. Everything was done by the slaves—includingthe building of the mansion. After thetour we came back and relaxed reading for a while. Another cold front is supposed to comethrough tomorrow and bring the temperatures down quite a bit. Hopefully Ft. Myers won’t be too bad. And we’ll be in the Keys in just a fewdays. Low 80s today. More left-over turkey tonight for dinner.

Gamble Mansion & Plantation
Oldest antebellum plantation in south Florida

2011-11-25T19:15:00.001-06:00

Lake Manatee State Park, Bradenton, FL: We went out for breakfastthis morning and then did the laundry and picked up a few groceries. An apt activity for Black Friday. Some pretty nasty shenanigans taking place insome of the stores. One woman usedpepper spray in order to get the item she wanted. Unbelievable! What a great way to get in the holidayspirit! Low 80s today.

Let's hear it for "Shop Small Saturday"--promoting small businesses.

2011-11-24T18:03:00.001-06:00

Lake Manatee State Park, Bradenton, FL: This morning dawned brightand sunny with a little chill in the air. Watched the Thanksgiving Day parade and put the turkey breast in theoven around 1:00. While the turkey was baking awaywe enjoyed a couple of cocktails. Watched the football game between the undefeated Packers and the 7-3 Detroit Lions. I was rooting for the Packers and Mike wasfor the Lions. Good game. Packers won. Our dinner was delicious and we stuffed ourselves. Upper 70s today.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T17:52:00.001-06:00

Lake Manatee State Park, Bradenton, FL: Really cloudy thismorning—harbinger of things to come. Butit was still really warm. It was sohumid the mirrors all fogged up. We’renot complaining though. It was surebetter than the chilly marine layer out along the California coast. We decided to drive down to Sarasota taking Rt. 41 instead ofI-75. First mistake. Lots of traffic lights and slow going. Wanted to have lunch in old town Sarasota and walk around some. Followed the first sign we saw for old townand then never saw another sign. So weended up at a Longhorn Steakhouse just before I-75. Turned out to be a better decision since thesky was looking pretty stormy to the north. Mike had pork chops and I had a really nice grilled chicken salad withstrawberries, grapes, mandarin oranges, candied almonds, feta cheese, and alltopped off with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Really good. After lunch we dodged rain drops back to thetruck and got on I-75 heading back to our pretty park. The traffic on 75 was very heavy. We were glad to get back to our park which is9 miles east of I-75 and really out in the country. Got ensconced inside with the book I’mreading—“As time Goes By”—which starts where the movie, “Casablanca”, ended. A very interesting read. My brother-in-law, Dan, let me borrowit. 80s before the rain. 70s after.

The beautiful Ringling Estate--Sarasota, FL

2011-11-22T17:25:00.001-06:00

Lake Manatee State Park, Bradenton, FL: Another warm, sultry daytoday. Lots of clouds though. We headed out for some breakfast and thendrove north on I-75 one exit to the Gamble Plantation and mansion. It was the largest sugarcane plantation inthe area in its day. Unfortunately, itis closed for tours on Mondays and Tuesdays. But we walked around the grounds anyway. We’ll go back on the weekend. Stopped at Publix on our way home and bought all the stuff we need forour Thanksgiving dinner. Sat outsidereading for a while and we had another tortoise come through our site. Went for a walk down by the lake after lunch.Didn’t take long to get all sweated up. 84 today.

Gamble Plantation

Another tortoise visited our site
(picture by Mike)
I've been told that wherever there are tortoises, there are rattlesnakes who like to hang out in the tortoise dens

2011-11-21T18:21:00.001-06:00

Lake Manatee State Park, Bradenton, FL: Another beautiful, warmday. I got up and waited for Mike to getup. He didn’t get up until 10:30! After lunch we drove over to Anna Maria Island which is a cute little island residential area. No high rises. Stopped at a beach and walked around. Saw a big bridge across the bay. Turns out it was the Skyway Bridge outside Tampa. On the way back we stopped at another beachto check out the sand sculptures. Tempsranged from 81 to 88. Got some sprinklesin the evening. Oh, and Happy Birthday Mom!

We love this park. Our site is really private--tucked into the lush vegetation. Mostly live oaks, a few pines, palmettos, and everything covered in Spanish moss. Gives it a primeval feel.

One of the sand sculptures

2011-11-20T17:43:00.001-06:00

Pasco Winter Quarters,Land O’Lakes, FL, to Lake Manatee State Park, Bradenton, FL: This morning wasbeautiful—warm and sunny under a deep blue cloudless sky. Started getting things together and then welooked at our reservation and the check-in time was 3:00. So we sat outside reading andrelaxing until 11:00 and then finished putting things away. Left around 11:40. I usually drive first, but Mike did thistime. A short drive—only about 70miles. Headed east on Rt. 54 and thensouth in I-75. I-75 was a little roughbut then smoothed out after a few miles. Pulled into Lake Manatee SP and were set up by 1:30. We were sitting outside relaxing and a prettybig tortoise walked through our site. Hehung out in the palmettos around our site for a while. But he was gone after dinner. After dinner we walked the trail down to thelake. Saw a beautiful rainbow. Not sure where it was raining, but at leastit wasn’t here. Walked back and a littleboy was by the bath house sobbing. Mikeand I and another guy went over. Turnsout he was lost. Guess he walked over tothe bath house and then didn’t know how to get back. We took him over to the host and were goingto take him around to find his family, but I heard someone calling hisname. Anyway, it all ended well. He was only about 6 or 7. These trails can be confusing. 86 today.

Truck pulling a trailer with a little calf in it. Isn't he cute? Look at those ears!

A tortoise came for a visit. They have no natural enemies, although raccoons will sometimes eat them. Their young are vulnerable to predation until their shells harden-- which takes 7-8 years.

On the trail to the lake

Saw this big spider on the trail

Beautiful rainbow

Lake Manatee

2011-11-19T21:18:00.001-06:00

Pasco Winter Quarters,Land O’Lakes, FL: Back over to Sandy and Dan’s today around noon. Sandy put together anapple/blueberry pie which she put in the oven after we got there. Some really good smells coming out of thatkitchen. After the pie was done wewalked over to the clubhouse for lunch. Came back and had some pie. Really,really good. Played spades. Ate some more pie. Can’t wait to get on the scale tomorrow. We didn’t leave there until 9:30. Stopped to fuel up and some girltried to sell us some things. Said she’djust come from the flea market and needed money for gas. Said no thanks and continued on our way. We leave tomorrow for Lake Manatee State Parkin Sarasota, FL.

2011-11-18T19:08:00.001-06:00

Pasco Winter Quarters,Land O’Lakes, FL: Really chilly this morning. Butsunny and bright. Had the furnace on again (sigh). Put a couple of loads of laundry in and thenhad some breakfast. Made some pasta totake over to Sandy and Dan’s. We gotover there about 12:30. Played cards. And Mike went and got the truck washed. Hung around there until 7:30 and headed home. 80 today.

2011-11-18T19:01:00.001-06:00

Thu, 11/17/11

Pasco Winter Quarters,Land O’Lakes, FL: Poured like crazy this morning. Thunder and lightning along with it. Cleared off though and we were backover to Sandy and Dan’s around noon. We sat around, discussed the world’s problemsand gave great insight as to how to solve them. After giving up on that issue, we played spades for a while and then metDan’s son, Danny, and his wife, Lorell, for dinner. Chilled off quite a bit.

2011-11-16T21:14:00.001-06:00

Pasco Winter Quarters,Land O’Lakes, FL: Drove over to my sister and brother-in-law’s around noon and we went over to their clubhouse for lunch. After that we played spades for a while, sataround on their lanai, and played more spades. Sandy has a pot roast going in the crock pot which was delicious. Sat outside on the lanai after dinner and itwas still really warm. We are definitelyenjoying this warm weather. 86 today.

Sandy & Dan
Marathon, FL

Hanging out on the lanai

2011-11-15T18:10:00.001-06:00

Manatee Springs State Park, Chiefland, FL: Foggy, warm, and humid thismorning. After some breakfast we startedputting things away. Hooked up, stoppedby our hosts, Deborah and Wayne to say goodbye and we’re on the road again by 10:30. After a short stop in Ingles forbreakfast we were in our park and set up by 2:00. Fortunately, we remembered to affix ourSunpass thingy to the windshield last night, because from now on we’ll be usingthe Florida Turnpike a lot. And it is a greatconvenience. Speaking of which, while wewere on the southbound lane of the turnpike we encountered a tortoise crossingthe road. We managed to go over himwithout hitting him. Hopefully the carbehind us did the same. Talked to my sister briefly who we’ll be visiting whilewe’re here. She sounds horrible. Has a sinus infection. We will definitely keep our visits short.Going to a restaurant tonight that Mike saw featured on the show “Diners,Drive-ins, and Dives.” It’s calledSkippers and it’s in Tampa somewhere. We entered the addressinto our GPS system and it took us right there. Only about 10 minutes away. Andthis place had a lot of character. Reminded us of Ricky’s Blue Heaven Café in Key West. Mike got barbecued gator ribs (gasp) and Ihad black beans and rice. I tried thegator ribs. They were excellent!

Our host, Deborah, and her dog, Buddy. This feral dog was rescued from an avocado orchard near Miami at 14 weeks, along with some other feral dogs. Deborah and her husband, Wayne, adopted him. He's now 11 months old and is the best dog. He's a little wary and loud noises scare him, but he is a charmer. Deborah and Wayne have worked with him a lot, and he understands sit, down, stay, leave it, etc. Amazing!

2011-11-15T17:56:00.001-06:00

Mon, 11/14/11

Manatee Springs State Park, Chiefland, FL: A lot warmer thismorning. Chilly at first, but once thesun came out it warmed up nicely. Mikewent off to run some errands. I satoutside reading my new book, “Grace and Power”, about the Kennedypresidency. It was so peaceful and quietonce all “the weekenders” left. Idecided to walk down to the Suwannee—such a beautiful day. There were6 manatees in there this time. The duckswere all in the spring run. Checked outthe spring, which was pristine once again. The water didn’t feel that cold at all either. We’ve been coming here for 7 years and haveyet to swim/snorkel this beautiful spring. When I got back to our site Mike had returned already. Our neighbor, Bob, was getting ready to leaveand stopped over to say goodbye. Afterhe left we sat outside enjoying this beautiful day. Later we went back to Bar-B-Que Bill’s fordinner. Tomorrow we leave forLand-O-Lakes near Tampa.

This spring (mostly covered in duck weed) is about 100 yds. from the main spring. The divers enter here to access the underwater cave system.

2011-11-15T17:50:00.001-06:00

Sun, 11/13/11

Manatee Springs State Park, Chiefland, FL: Not as cold thismorning. And a beautiful day instore. We just hung out this morningchatting with the young couple and the two kids in the tent next to us. Guess they had a cold night last night. They didn’t even have sleeping bags—justblankets. Oh boy… After lunch we walkeddown to the Suwannee. There were hundreds of ducksdown there. And the two manatees werestill there. Walked back through thepicnic area where the divers were just finishing up and the outfit from San Diego had their stuff all packedup and ready to go to the next stop—somewhere in Texas. Walked back to our site and sat aroundreading. Finished my John Grisham book,“The Confession”. Good one. Had burgers for dinner. 74 today.

Suwannee River

2011-11-15T17:42:00.001-06:00

Sat, 11/12/11

Manatee Springs State Park, Chiefland, FL: Another beautifulmorning—but cold. I got up at 6:00 and turned on the furnace. Acouple of hours later it was warm enough to venture out from under thecovers. Took a shower and dressed. Mike had a fire going. So I made my smoothieand went outside to join him. A lot warmeralready. Sat around the fire for a whileand after lunch we went for a hike. Stopped by the spring first to see what was going on with all thedivers. It’s a great deal for thedivers. For $15.00 they get to dive fortwo days and are able to try out all the gear that the outfit from San Diego offers. And they had a food tent set up for lunch anddinner. Hiked around for a couple ofhours. Unfortunately, we didn’t see anywildlife. We see more behind oursite. Got back from our hike and we hadsome new people in the site on the other side of us. A young couple and two small kids. They unloaded all their stuff and he toldthem how to put up the tent—and he left. So the woman and the two kids struggled for a while. I asked if they needed some help and shegratefully accepted. We got the tent upfinally and Mike came out and helped stake it down. I told them to tell their dad they did it allby themselves. Anyway, then we left togo to Chiefland and Bar-B-Que Bill’s for dinner. They have the best food there. A great salad bar and their soups are allhomemade. The other night they hadBrunswick stew which I got hooked on when I lived in Atlanta. It’s hard to find on any menu unless you’rein the deep South. Tonight they hadgoulash which was wonderful. Didn’t lookanything like the stuff I used to make. No big surprise there. Back toour site and got ensconced inside. Hopeit doesn’t get so cold tonight. Downinto the 30s last night. 72 today.

A couple of these large snakes live in the spring. Just a harmless brown water snake.

2011-11-15T17:22:00.001-06:00

Fri, 11/11/11

Manatee Springs State Park, Chiefland, FL: A beautiful morning thismorning, but really cold. Reluctantlygot out of bed, turned on the furnace, then back under the covers until itwarmed a little. When it was a littlewarmer, I got up, stripped the sheets off the bed and put clean ones on. Showered, dressed, and was ready to get thelaundry together and hit the Laundromat Mike wanted a fire, so we decided to enjoy the fire on this cold morningand go to the Laundromat after lunch. Got talking to the guy in the site next to us who’s in a tent. He’s here to do some diving. There are going to be a bunch of divers hereto dive the spring on Saturday and Sunday. There is a network of underwater caves fanning out from the spring. Sounds dangerous to me. You have to be cave certified to do it. Well,you’re supposed to be cave certified. Thereason for all this diving activity is a company out of San Diego who is here letting diverstry out all their dry suits. They weresetting up a big tent over by the spring as we walked over there yesterday. Lawenforcement was here today getting certified. Going to be a busy place this weekend. Really cold again tonight and then a gradual warming. 64 today.

Manatee in the Suwannee River

2011-11-15T15:24:00.001-06:00

Thu, 11/10/11

Manatee Springs State Park, Chiefland, FL: This morning dawned brightand sunny. We walked over to the Suwannee River and there were two manateesin the river at the end of the dock. Water is low in the spring run and the river. This spring emits about 50 to 150 milliongallons of water a day. And it’sconsidered a medium-sized spring. Shortly after lunch the clouds started rolling in. No rain, but it sure cooled down. For dinner Mike grilled some steaks and Isautéed thinly sliced potatoes with onion and red pepper. After dinner we played Monopoly for a while.

Pretty Manatee Spring

2011-11-15T15:07:00.003-06:00

Wed, 11/9/11

Chattahoochee KOA, Chattahoochee, FL, to Manatee Springs State Park, Chiefland, FL: Left this morning around 10:00 and stopped at a Flying J to fuel up and have some breakfast. Continued east on I-10 and just east of Tallahassee we dropped south on Rt.19/27. This route is a four-lane,limited-access highway that winds through what old Florida was probably like back inthe day. Drove through the little towns(more like wide spots in the road) of Eridu, Idoo, and Shady Grove. Past little cracker houses with tin roofs,large cattle and horse ranches behind brown flat board fences and electronicgates, old pecan groves, and magnificent live oaks dripping in Spanishmoss. Arrived at Manatee Springs SP andwere set up by 3:00. We were all by ourselves for awhile. Sat outside in the peace andquiet—the only sounds the buzzing of the insects and the raucous call of thepileated woodpeckers. About 4 deer and alittle fawn hung out in the woods behind us for a while. Hated to leave, but wehad to go pick up a few groceries and have some dinner. 81 today. Unfortunately, no Internet here.

Our pretty site tucked into the woods

2011-11-08T15:22:00.001-06:00

Gulf Pines KOA, Milton, FL, to Chattahoochee KOA, Chattahoochee, FL: A beautiful day today. Would have liked to go back to the beaches,but today is a travel day. Got the fifthwheel all closed up and ready to go. Then we went out sans the fifth wheel to fuel up and have somebreakfast. Came back, hooked up and wereon the road about noon. A short drive today on I-10 through thegently rolling hills and pines of the Florida panhandle. I drove for an hour and then weswitched. We were in Chattahoochee and set up by 3:00. Lost an hour because we’re nowin the Eastern Time Zone. Unfortunately--hate the Eastern Time Zone. Here for one nightand then off to Manatee Springs State Park for six days. 80 today but a coldfront is on the way east (sigh).

Bronze of the flight deck controller--Pensacola Naval Air Station

Bronze of a Navy pilot--Pensacola Naval Air Station

2011-11-07T18:47:00.000-06:00

Gulf Pines KOA, Milton, FL: Out to breakfast thismorning and then headed to the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. But instead of taking I-10 we dropped southon Rt. 87 to the drive along the barrier islands and the pristine, white sandbeaches along the Gulf Islands National Seashore. The last timewe were down here was right after Wilma and a lot of the roads wereimpassable. Heading west towards Pensacola Beach there was a long stretch ofjust sand dunes, sea grass, and the green waters of the Gulf. No buildings. No sign of human habitation. Beautiful! The sand is so whiteit looks like snow. But off in thedistance you could see the high rise condos of Pensacola Beach. West of Pensacola Beach is Santa Rosa Island and Ft. Pickens—another of the historicforts along the barrier islands. Discovered there is a really nice campground at Ft. Pickens. We stopped briefly at the fort but plan toreturn either at the end of our winter trip, or when we come down nextwinter. Left there and headed across Pensacola Bay for the Naval Aviation Museum at the Naval AirStation. Spent the rest of the afternoonthere. Stopped for some burgers on theway home. 77 today and mostly sunny.

The pristine white sand beaches of the Florida panhandle

Looks like snow, doesn't it?

Approaching the high-rises of Pensacola Beach

Historic Ft. Pickens

Naval Aviation Museum

This historic plane, the Dauntless dive bomber, is the only known survivor of both Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway

2011-11-06T16:43:00.000-06:00

Dauphin Island, AL, to Gulf Pines KOA, Milton, FL: Cloudy this morning,. We didn’t bother to set the clocks back sincewe’ll be in the Eastern Time Zone soon. Watched the Alabama/LSU football game last night. Great game. But LSU won in overtime. I wasrooting for Alabama. Left Dauphin Island just as the sun brokethrough. Wished we were staying a littlelonger. A short, 2-1/2 hour drive toMilton ,FL. We’re going to the Naval Air Station in Pensacola tomorrow to the fantasticNational Museum of Naval Aviation which rivals the Smithsonian. Pensacola is home to the BlueAngels. They practice a couple of days aweek and the public is welcome to watch for free. We did that a couple of years ago and it was great. Sat just a few feet from the runway and couldmeet the pilots after if you wanted. Unfortunately, we won’t be here this time for that event. Only here for two nights. 73 today and partly cloudy.

Pensacola--home to the Blue Angels

Bridges on I-10 through Pensacola

2011-11-05T18:23:00.001-05:00

Dauphin Island, Al: This morning dawned bright,sunny, and cool. Warmed up quickly. After lunch we walked over to the estuariumand Ft. Gaines. Next to our park is a Coast Guardstation and next to that is Ft. Gaines. The estuarium is across the street from thefort. A short walk. Ft. Gaines was established in 1821 andwas involved in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War. “Damn the torpedoes…full speed ahead.” Walked back and sat around enjoying the lastof the sun’s warmth.

Bang!
Ft. Gaines--established in 1821

Cute little creatures in the estuarium

Butterfly soaking up the sun and some nectar.

Structure on the left is the Sand Island Lighthouse. The structure on the right we thought was an oil rig--but most of the platforms around the bay area are natural gas rigs. They drill down up to 5 miles!

Sally Port at Ft. Gaines

2011-11-04T17:33:00.002-05:00

Dauphin Island, AL: Temps down into the 40s lastnight. We were both reluctant to get outfrom under the covers. But, a beautiful,mostly sunny day. After lunch we walkedout to the beach and then walked one of the trails. After our walk we drove down to the westernend of the island. A lot of damage hereafter Wilma, but everything seems back to normal. Stopped to pick up a couple of things at thegrocery store and picked up some things at a local bakery. Back to our park and sat outside in the sunreading for a while. Mid-60s today.

2011-11-03T17:15:00.000-05:00

Shady Cove RV Park, Hattiesburg, MS, to Dauphin Island, AL: Headed out at 10:10 this morning under heavy clouds spitting rain. Continued south on Rt. 49 for a few miles andthen headed south on Rt. 98 and then south on Rt. 63. Really good four-lane, limited access highwayall the way down to Moss Point on I-10 where we stopped for food and fuel. Mike started driving after lunch. Only a short drive now to Dauphin. We arrived around 2:30 and got set up. This is amunicipal park—the only one on the island. It’s way at the eastern end of the island—just a short walk from theferry over to Gulf Shores. There’s a bike path the wholelength of the island and several hiking trails. By the time we hit I-10, the rainhad stopped and the sun came out. 73when we got here.

2011-11-02T18:45:00.000-05:00

KOA, W. Memphis, AR, to Shady Cove RV Park,Hattiesburg, MS: Left this morning at 10:00, continuing south on I-55. Stopped at a Flying J and fueled up beforeheading over the Mississippi River into Memphis. We very quickly crossed into Mississippi. A pretty drive through heavily wooded, gentlyrolling hills. Mostly pines, but enoughhardwoods to enjoy the fall colors. Stopped at a truck stop after driving for a couple of hours and had somelunch. Then back on the road. I continued driving since Mike wasn’t feelingtoo great. We stopped again about 40miles north of Jackson, MS, to fuel up and then Mike started driving. Took Rt. 49 out of Jackson and it took another twohours on this iffy road in places to get to Shady Cove. Got here by 5:00 and set up. Only here for a night and tomorrow we head toDauphin Island where we’ll spend three days. Hope Rt. 49 is better. Hit 78 today. And a beautiful, sunny day. Thinkit’s supposed to rain some tomorrow.