Mon, Jan 13, 2020:  On our way to LaBelle to do the grocery shopping.  I walked up to the office and Mike met me there.  Continued on to LaBelle and got that out of the way and then came back and had lunch at Crumb’s.  Had their special—meat loaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, and carrots.  A great meal.  Came home and put our groceries away.  Decided to get the laundry out of the way since we have to go to the county office tomorrow to take care of our permit for the shed.  Got that out of the way.  I was sitting outside with a glass of wine and Charlie showed up on his golf cart inviting us over for happy hour.  I went with him on the golf cart and Mike came over a little later.  Had a great time with them and then came back and watched TV for a while.  82 today.

Tower Bridge--London

Gherkin--London

Sun, Jan 12, 2020:  Last night we ended up going to Gator Bait, a little place about a mile from us on Rt. 80.  Johnny (the 82-year-old) and his band were playing there.  A bunch of people from the Glades were there.  Danced some and had a good time.  This morning I tried putting the awning back out but it kept getting stuck.  I noticed there was a tree frog in one of the channels.  I waited for Mike to get up to deal with it.  Mike got it out with no problems and no tree frogs.  But I was getting a dish out of the cupboard later, and there was  a tree frog!  In the cabinet!  How the hell do they get in there?  I got it and put it outside, but our neighbors tell us they have problems with the little guys.  They get into the venting, etc.  Esther and Gerald stopped by on their bikes for a short visit.  Watched football the rest of the afternoon—Kansas City and Houston.  What a game!  Kansas City won after being down 24-0.  High 80s today.  Perfect!

The Shard--London

Tower of London

Sat, Jan 11, 2020:  Went for a walk this morning, which was shortened by stopping to talk with people and pet their dogs.  Anyway, it was nice to be out and about.  Met our new neighbors two sites down, Rob and Shelly, from Ontario.  Bourbon Street is now complete.  Went to the rib fest in LaBelle late morning—called “Smoke in the Oaks.”  Wished I had taken my camera because the park where it was held was beautiful—under a canopy of all these stately, magnificent, hundreds of years old live oaks.  We each had a rib dinner, listened to the music for a while, and then walked down by the river, watching some pretty nice boats go by. Walked back to our parking spot and checked out some of the historic buildings nearby.  Back home and read outside for a while.  86 today!

Palais et Jardin du Luxembourg
Paris, France

Fri, Jan 10, 2020:  Cloudy and windy all day today.  We decided to drive into N. Ft. Myers to see the movie “1917.”  The Golden Globes gave it a best picture nod.  But I was a little disappointed in it.  However, the cinematography was amazing.  After the movie we stopped at Popeye’s and bought some chicken and red beans and rice for dinner tonight.  80 today and showers off and on. 

Bison in Badlands National Park

Rattle snake on the trail at Badlands National Park

Thu, Jan 9, 2020:  Warm today, but windy, windy, windy.  Put our awning up.  Yesterday afternoon while I was relaxing outside reading my book and minding my own business, a truck pulled in from Glades County.  She was the code enforcement officer and told us we needed a permit from the county for our shed.  We thought it was enough when the park signed off on it, but apparently not.  So, we now have to go to Moore Haven and present them with our drawings, etc.  Think it’s all about money, since we have to pay something for the permit.  On a more positive note, the book I’m reading is great—“The Aviator’s Wife.”  A historical novel about Anne Morrow Lindbergh. They met and married after his historic flight across the Atlantic.  Lindbergh got all the accolades of course, but at Charles’s insistence, she learned to fly, became an expert at celestial navigation, Morse code, and navigation.  She went with him on all his future flights and became his crew—taking over flying the plane when he was too tired and navigating their route.  He said she was a better pilot than Amelia Earhart.  Went to the tiki bar in Clewiston for lunch. 79 today but it didn’t feel it because of the wind.

Sign in the tiki bar.

Wed, Jan 8, 2020:  Started out walking to the office and Mike followed a little later and picked me up.  Picked up our mail and then we stopped at the pickle ball courts to try our hand.  I had my back brace on and did okay.  Mike not so much.  I played tennis with three other girls when I lived in Syracuse.  Loved tennis.  Pickle ball is pretty different.  The ball is basically a whiffle ball.  The wind causes havoc.  They play pickle ball every morning at 9:00.  Some have tried to talk me into playing.  I guarantee they wouldn’t want me as a partner.  Some people take it very seriously.  I just like to play for fun.  78 today.

Nice sunset in the Keys.

Tue, Jan 7, 2020:  Another sunny, cool morning.  Warmed up nicely though. Got the laundry out of the way this morning.  After lunch I went over to the activity center for line dancing.  That was fun.  Mike took care of some chores and then we went to Grumpy’s for an early dinner.  The rest of the week is supposed to be in the low to mid-80s with no end in sight.  Yes! 

Grumpy's Restaurant