Storm is Over

Yes, it rained again. A very large storm passed thru yesterday. There were tornados nearby, but here it was just windy and wet. This morning the sun is shining and the birds are singing.

I'm going to an Indian Flute Festival today. I signed up to help out and my alloted time slot is 12-4pm. I'm going early so I can look around and shop. I met a very nice lady at a pow wow I went to last year and she will be there selling her Christmas ornaments. She does these amazing doll ornaments.

Next week I have to go back to the yarn shop. I am stuck on the sock pattern. I know it is something very easy, but I just feel stuck. These socks will not get the best of me. I want to knit socks for Christmas gifts. Where is plan B??? What is plan B???

Back to Pensacola

Right now I'm back at the Elk's Lodge in Perry, Fl. It is a very nice facility. I plan on having dinner here again. Leaving early am to get to Pensacola at a decent hour.

Having trouble deciding whether to change the TV to air antenna as it took me so long to get the cable to work at the last RV park. I still don't know what button I pushed to make it work. This is a good time to start a new book and listen to music. I'll let you know tomorrow if I could go 1 evening without TV!!!

Orange City RV Resort

I arrived at the RV park Saturday afternoon. Got set up and then called Glens sister, Linda. They had invited me to dinner, so I drove over and had a very nice visit.

The park is older and has a lot of full time residents. It is clean and the managers are friendly and very helpful. For some reason I could not get the cable to work. I was hot and tired and just put up the antennae. Yesterday I pushed a lot of buttons and got it to work. I have no idea what the right button is, but at this point I don't care. HGTV! Yeh!!!

Yesterday I drove to Mount Dora. It is a very cute town, lots of antique and art shops. If I were to concider Florida as a place to live Mount Dora would be my 1st choice. It sits on a lake and has a alot of open space around it. It is close enough to Orlando to have the benefits of a big city without the defecits.

Today I'm going to finish sorting thru clothes and putting away the last of my winter clothes. I need the space.

Tomorrow I head out again and am on the last leg of my trip in Florida. Then I need to decide which way I will go to finish my trip to the eastern part of the country.

My goal was to get to the end of the Keys but I only made it to the middle. I was driving along and realized that all I was able to see, on both sides, was trees. Once again you can not see past them. I stopped and had lunch outside at a very nice restaurant. While there I decided to drive back to the RV park as I had to get things ready to leave. I took pics of these 2 very interesting boats. I'm sure the Keys are really nice but I just was not up to adding another 2 hours of driving to my day.

I left the everglades yesterday and headed north. I planned on visiting Glen's sister and brother-in-law. They live near Orlando. I drove over to Linda and Jack's home for dinner. It was a short drive and they were very welcoming and we had a very nice dinner. I was back home right after dark. Put on my jamies and fell asleep. It was a long day.

Tomorrow I'm going to Mount Dora. Apparently it is a cute town with lots of antique and art shops.

Miami tour

Yesterday I took a tour of Miami. I've taken a few tours of other cities and this one is the worst one, so far. The only thing I can say about Miami - traffic, traffic and palm tress everywhere. The tour did not have stops that were interesting except Little Havana. I bought a CD of Cuban music. I love it!!!

Miami is an older city and has a huge art deco area that I really liked. Also Coral Gables was interesting. The other picture is a tribute to the people that passed away during the Holocost. Very impressive.

Miccosukee Indian Village

I was going to drive to the Village and then go to Naples. Naturally I went the wrong way on Hwy 75 and ended up in Naples first. It is like Palm Springs etc - smells like money. Very nice buy generic.

I then drove to the Village and watched the alligator wrestler. They do a very nice job showing the way they lived before and after the white man showed up.

I'm totally afraid of getting out of the car due to the alligators. They are everywhere!!!

tomorrow I am going to drive to the Keys. Since I won't be back this way for a long while I feel I should at least see them. Hope they are worth the drive.

Flamingo Gardens

This is one of those days you just have to "go with the flow."

I got up early, and left by 7-am to get to Miami to take a tour of the city. Well, it was raining like crazy and the traffic was terrible. I had to call and reschedule for Wednesday. I pulled over and had breakfast. There was a Publix (grocery store), so I did a little food shopping. I decided to drive to Hollywood, Fl. I had been told that it was a cute town to see. I did not know where to go so to me it was just another beach town.

Last week when I went to the Flamingo Gardens. I left the battery for my camera in the charger so, no pictures. I stopped on my way home and took numerous pics. (See Album). It is a beautiful place to visit. Anyway, I am now home and it is raining. again!!!!

Everglades National Park

Yesterday I went to the Everglades. A part of the country that I have always wanted to see. It is magnificent! So many birds and alligators. Check out the album.

OnStar took me on the toll road which went thru the outskirts of Miami. Just more city. I found a road that went thru the country. Much better as that is what I like. I am looking for a tour of Miami to take and I still need to go the the Keys. It is supposed to rain again for a few days. I hope it does not last to long. I'm scheduled to leave here Saturday.

Billie Swamp Tour

I took the Billie Swamp Safari Tour Monday. They provide an air boat and a large buggy tour of the swamp. both are very good. The guides are very knowlegable and friendly. See album for pics.

I can't wait to see the National Park.

Flamingo Gardens

Yesterday I drove over to the Flamingo Gardens. It is a botanical garden and wild life preserve. I don't have pictures because I left the battery for my camera at home on the charger. Not much good to me there.

It is a beautiful garden and worth the trip and time.

Tomorrow I'm driving to the Everglades National Park. Yes, I will have pictures.

Leaving Pensacola

I left yesterday morning about 9am. It was strange getting eveything ready to leave. I kept hoping everything would work and I would not have any problems. So far, so good.

I got to the Perry Elks Club about 3pm (there is a time change between Pensacola and Perry). They have a large grassy area set up with water and electricity. Very nice facility. I met my neighbors Barbara and Larry. Barbara is not if good health and did not go to dinner so Larry and went to eat at the club. Just as we sat down a couple came in that had just pulled in. We had a very nice dinner (the food was great!) and the conversation was too.

Today I drive to another Elks Club in Lake Wales, Fl.

I arrived and was told to park between a house and storage building. I got stuck and the back wheels of the truck were dug into the ground. I put the jacks down on the front of the trailer and unhitched the truck. After I set up the trailer I went over to the club and had a coke and visited with a couple sitting next to me. They were having a steak dinner, so I decided to try it. It was not bad. Better than my cooking - not to hard to do.

The next day I got up and got everything ready to hook up to leave, then went to the club for breakfast. Randy and several of the men came over and helped fill in the holes and covered them with boards. I was able to back up and hook up and pull out. Much to my suprise. I was all set for it to be a problem.

I left there and drove to the Big Cypress RV Resort on the Seminole Reservation. It is a very nice park. The phone service is very iffy but I can drive out to the road and get a bar on my phone.