The LITTLE RV Show

Last Sunday after church we decided to go find Lake Okeechobee. I know, we are right by it but, when we go to the top of the berm that surrounds it all we see is a little waterway and lots of ground.
We traveled 58 miles and finally found WATER.
It was on the east side of the lake and this was the area that some people we met at the Emerald Beach CG said that we didnt want to go there. The town was Pahokee and we saw a bus, about 6 police cars and several boarded up buildings as we made our way to the KOA CG that is over the berm and right on the lake. As we left town we also saw the 'projects' where all the ex workers lived. The recession really hit the sugar cane in this area hard and all the towns have unemployed and boarded up businesses.

One of the neat/odd things we have seen is the small black birds feeding in the ponds, there are hundreds of then skimming just above the water and dipping something out of the water. Dont know if its fish or bugs they're getting but I'm waiting for the gator to pop up and get a few birds.
One day this week CB decided to get some sun so I broke out the hammock for her. She seemed to enjoy it.
Every Sunday evening they have ice cream in the clubhouse for $1. The first Sunday it was anyone that had a birthday in 4 certain months got to go first and theirs was free. One of the months was July so you know who was first in line. After ice cream they play 'card bingo'. We decided to try it the second Sunday and CB won a round and last Sunday I won a round. You take a deck of cards and deal them to 4 people then the caller has a deck and he starts calling cards from it. The first one to get rid of all their cards wins. We play 10 rounds for a dime a round per player and the finale is a quarter.

This past TH, Mr. B and I went to the Ft. Myers RV Show. Much smaller than the 1 in Tampa but still bigger than Peoria and Springfield. As a matter of fact, we found out SA that we missed an entire building of nothing but vendors. Most of the rigs were outside so, since it wasn't raining yet, we decided to check half of them out first. After that (and still not finding anything we want to replace our Suite with), we went into the expo building that had more rigs plus vendors along all 4 walls. From there, we went back out to check the other half then left and finding out yesterday that we missed the other bldg w/more goodies/products to buy. Oh well, we'll remember that the next time we go to this show.

That's it for the camper shows that we're aware of here in FL. Back home between Jan. and March, we usually go to the Chicago (Rosement), Peoria and Spfld. shows so it seems strange to think that we're done "window shopping" already.

We went to the show w/some Suite friends who bought a spot at a beautiful RV Resort in Ft. Myers last year. We were comparing stories about IL and IN weather while walking around in shorts and short sleeves but, like Tom said, when we get back home and go to our 1st campout in April, we'll probably stay inside w/the furnace on while all of you guys are saying how nice out it is

They took us to a FANTASTIC seafood restaurant (Harbourside Grill) and I had the best shrimp I've had in a long time. It was great sitting out on the deck overlooking the waterway and I know we'll go back there again, even though Ft. Myers is about an hour south from Moore Haven. That really is about the only thing I wish was different at this cg...it truly is in the middle of nowhere. But, for what we're saving on monthly rent, we're able to go to Ft. Myers and Sebring (about 1 hour north of here) about once a week or every other week.

Florida Super RV Show

THAT is an understatement! Tom and I went to Tampa TH to go check out the new campers, get new ideas, check out all the vendors, etc. and we were overwhelmed at the size of this thing! Back in IL, we always went to the RV shows in Springfield, St. Louis and Chicago, with the Chicago show being the largest of the 3. THIS show, held at the fairgrounds, makes Chicago look puny. The Tampa show only sells 2-day tickets ($10) but we now know why. We got there around 9:50 a.m. and left around 7 hours later and still did not see everything. It takes almost 3 hours to get there so, of course, we didn't go back the 2nd day.

Tom actually found a floor plan on a "Riverline" (or "River" something) that interested him but did not pick up a brochure on it. Probably a good thing, huh? Really, we still like our floor plan better than all the rest out there. We've heard of a fellow who "revamps" his camper every few years to stay current w/upholstery, sinks, tub, cabinetry and flooring for a fraction of what it would cost to buy a new camper. I'm thinking we could take baby steps and do that too.

On another note (and please don't beat me up), it's been colder here than usual. With lows in the upper 30s a couple days the highs (in the low 60s) have been very pleasant. However, we haven't seen any "gator" activity. Guess they hibernate until it warms up enough for them to come back out and play again. And, as far as the otters, they've apparently moved elsewhere. We've been here for over 2 weeks now and haven't seen them. Temps are supposed to start climbing back up into the mid- to upper-70's (forecasters say that is still lower than normal but we'll take it!) over the next few days so maybe we'll catch sight of the big and little gators.

Trip to Ft. Myers

We headed to Ft. Myers today, about 70 miles away, to see Manatee (in all the years we've been to FL we have never seen one) and go to Camping World, Dicks sporting goods, Lowes and Applebees.

After a big breakfast at the CG clubhouse, the first stop was Manatee park.
It was across from a power plant and the Manatee like the warm water discharge. There were a LOT of them but, the water was brown from the tannen from the trees and the Manatee dont take long to take a breath and they only stick their nostrils out of the water. Hard to get a good picture.
Oh, and I caught an Alligator.

Then after all our shopping (average sized Camping World, 2 story Dicks in a huge open air mall, and a very big fancy Lowes) and a late lunch at Applebees we hit the beach, Ft Myers Beach that is. It was late in the afternoon and breezy so we had our windbreaker and sweater on. There were some people in the water, probably Canadians! We decided we would go back and spend some more time at the beach next time. Cheryl even got her feet wet.
Spent about an hour walking the beach, pier and shops then got some ice cream and headed home.

Gators

This is the pond right by our spot.






This is the Gator in the pond right by our spot. Cheryl thought that it hissed at her the other night but that may have been the 6 foot black snake that lives under the kitchen.




This is the gator in the big pond at the back of the property. We saw some other thing surfacing in this pond but cant make out what they are.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Oh my...has it really been since mid-Oct that I last posted? And...are we REALLY retired yet? To recap our exciting adventures (sorry to bore those of you who've been "journeying" along w/us), after I retired on Oct. 15, Tom and I headed to Hawaii for 10 days. Had a great 2 days at the beach in Waikiki in Honolulu then boarded the NCL ship for the next 7 days.
Even though the weather wasn't the greatest since their winter weather was moving in (certainly not sunny and pristine like you see on TV or in the postcards), we still enjoyed our time there and brought back many fond memories of things we were able to see and do.
Should we ever go back, we will just pick a couple islands we want to spend a few days at and do our own thing. Lots of beautiful scenery, history and culture in our 50th state.

After returning from HI, it was off to AZ so I could spend a week w/my baby sister. Micki and I had a great time together and I wish it could've been a longer trip. I certainly miss her and can't wait for her to move back to the Spfld. area, hopefully, this spring/summer.

Tom and I got to spend several days w/Clay, Kim and Kenley before hooking the camper up and heading to TN where we spent an afternoon w/our friends Wayne & Twila. They moved to Crossville to have milder winters than in IL but aren't real happy right now as they've been getting slammed w/cold, nasty weather. But, it was nice visiting w/them and seeing their new home. Twila has a knack for home decorating and it looks very lovely, warm and cozy.

After leaving TN, we headed to Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, AL. Much warmer but still a few surprisingly chilly days. However, we aren't complaining, especially when we see the central IL forecasts. Brrrrr!


Thanksgiving week we moved to a nice campground (cg) in Navarre, FL, which was about 10 miles west of Ft. Walton Beach.
We had a fabulous time there for about 1 1/2 months. All 8 of us were able to gather at Val & Scott's for a wild and crazy week. Highlights (and a few low lights) included: celebrating Sophia's and Kenley's 1st birthdays. What a riot watching these beautiful little girls tear into their presents and, of course, their cupcakes. We also got to celebrate Scott's b'day mid-week, a delicious Thanksgiving
dinner and even a family Christmas. All of this was interspersed w/the entire young Brockman family making several trips to prompt care places for various reasons (there's the low light!) They distributed new trash cans while we were there. What does that say on the can?

After C, K and K headed home, we stayed in FL except for several days when we flew back to Spfld. for our last Company Christmas party. It was really great seeing all of my co-workers and some of our camping friends again but the blizzard we experienced while in Bloomington was enough bad weather to last us forever! BTW...GIRLS STILL RULE ON P&J!!!


Christmas was a beautiful day in FL w/V, S and S. We had fun watching Sophia open her Christmas gifts, especially the $1 pet toy for Chibi that she latched on to!
Val and Scott were gracious in inviting several of their friends over for a delicious meal that afternoon. I think everyone went home w/full bellies. V&S are great hosts and certainly love to entertain.

On Dec. 29th, Mr. B and I headed to our current spot in Moore Haven, FL where it is A LOT warmer...woo hoo! We've been IN SHORTS the last few days, which is AWESOME!!! Highs have been in the upper 70's w/lows in the low 60's. Supposedly a couple of alligators and a couple otters have taken up residency at this cg, but we haven't seen them yet. You can bet we're keeping our eyes open w/camera in hand for those fantastic moments!

Now that we're not close enough to be w/family or friends, we MIGHT start feeling retired. Up to this point, we've been in "vacation" mode. I'm hoping our next "vacation" will be a 2-day trip to WDW next month IF I can find us a good deal. Keep your fingers crossed because I REALLY want to go to DW since we're T H I S close!

So, that's the last quarter of 2010 in a nutshell. Our wish is that all of you will have a safe, healthy and happy 2011. See you in a few months. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go put on some shorts and head outdoors!