Thursday, February 10, 2011
Central Florida
Our last free breakfast with our hosts, George and Brenda was fun! Pretty good food, but when G&B asked what was some good spots to see in Michigan – things took off!!! The other couple with us – Rose and Dana joined in! From Holland to Houghton; Michigan International to Mackinaw; Sleeping Bear to Greenfield Village; the vacation ideas just flowed!
R&N headed to Buttonwood Bay Resort and H and I headed up to Highland Hammock for a few days. We cannot stay at the Hammock without riding our bikes around the “loop” and walking out on the Cypress Boardwalk. Such a narrow, winding string of boards, slung like a tightrope, just over the dark mysterious water of the swamp! AND - - - low and behold, Gene and Bobbie were parked the next row over from us so I got to “catch up” a bit with these dear friends! My sewing machine did its job again, too! In a very short time, the folks next to us came to investigate. Linda and Jerry are from Davenport Iowa but we discovered that Jerry grew up in Toledo and went to Libbey High School. When I found out that Fran and Charles – the folks parked between H and I and B&G, were from “North Georgia” - I had to introduce them! They all had dulcimers and deer hunting in common!
On then to EG Simmons! R&N arrived the day before we did and parked in site #3 and finagled to keep #5 open for us! SPFB-yet again! R drove but we drug he and Nancy to The Red Barn Flea Market down in Bradenton and then out to Anna Marie Island and the pier and beaches. You guessed it – dinner was at Anna Marie Oyster Bar. On Saturday we all climbed back into R’s big gray truck and headed north to see if the guys could find Silver Dollar Shooting Club. It took 2 GPS’s, a cell phone and the Florida map but – Mission accomplished -and the fellas got to shoot a few rounds in the rain. On Sunday it rained most of the day again. However, no amount of rain was going to keep us from indulging in strawberry shortcake for lunch. The sun managed to come out for a while after we returned home with our tummies full of yummy sweet red berries so I went for a bike ride while the others kicked back and read the paper we had picked up. In my journey along the horseshoe crab beach, I found a good-sized shell, and then another for Nancy. Back at the campsite, I rinsed them off and worked at getting the heavy metal grate on the fire ring flipped over and level to dry the shells on. It’s too bad I didn’t see the fire ants before they crawled up and over my left hand and up and over my left foot. Good thing I had on socks and tennis shoes or I’d have more than just those few red itching welts on my leg.
H’s birthday was Monday but R&N were scheduled to move then so we celebrated on Sunday evening. H still had to grill his own supper! We did sing to him and then forced him to blow out his candles on the red velvet cake that I baked for him. Our entertainment for the evening was a bunch of rousing games of “Left, Right, Center” a dice game that takes even fewer brain cells than playing Bunco!
R&N did pull out on Monday and within a few hours a huge motorhome was ready to back in to the tiny, narrow spot where their 18ft trailer had been. The driver of the motorhome came over to chat with H and told him the rangers were going to cut down the tree so they could have room to park there. Can you imagine? Luckily, only several larger limbs were sacrificed. Our ire was not calming so we were glad it was time for us to move. We did – on Tuesday. Time for Moss Park! But on the way we stopped at Brandon Farms for a FANTASTIC quart of huge red sweet strawberries! Close your eyes – can you smell them? Can you imagine the taste?
R&N headed to Buttonwood Bay Resort and H and I headed up to Highland Hammock for a few days. We cannot stay at the Hammock without riding our bikes around the “loop” and walking out on the Cypress Boardwalk. Such a narrow, winding string of boards, slung like a tightrope, just over the dark mysterious water of the swamp! AND - - - low and behold, Gene and Bobbie were parked the next row over from us so I got to “catch up” a bit with these dear friends! My sewing machine did its job again, too! In a very short time, the folks next to us came to investigate. Linda and Jerry are from Davenport Iowa but we discovered that Jerry grew up in Toledo and went to Libbey High School. When I found out that Fran and Charles – the folks parked between H and I and B&G, were from “North Georgia” - I had to introduce them! They all had dulcimers and deer hunting in common!
On then to EG Simmons! R&N arrived the day before we did and parked in site #3 and finagled to keep #5 open for us! SPFB-yet again! R drove but we drug he and Nancy to The Red Barn Flea Market down in Bradenton and then out to Anna Marie Island and the pier and beaches. You guessed it – dinner was at Anna Marie Oyster Bar. On Saturday we all climbed back into R’s big gray truck and headed north to see if the guys could find Silver Dollar Shooting Club. It took 2 GPS’s, a cell phone and the Florida map but – Mission accomplished -and the fellas got to shoot a few rounds in the rain. On Sunday it rained most of the day again. However, no amount of rain was going to keep us from indulging in strawberry shortcake for lunch. The sun managed to come out for a while after we returned home with our tummies full of yummy sweet red berries so I went for a bike ride while the others kicked back and read the paper we had picked up. In my journey along the horseshoe crab beach, I found a good-sized shell, and then another for Nancy. Back at the campsite, I rinsed them off and worked at getting the heavy metal grate on the fire ring flipped over and level to dry the shells on. It’s too bad I didn’t see the fire ants before they crawled up and over my left hand and up and over my left foot. Good thing I had on socks and tennis shoes or I’d have more than just those few red itching welts on my leg.
H’s birthday was Monday but R&N were scheduled to move then so we celebrated on Sunday evening. H still had to grill his own supper! We did sing to him and then forced him to blow out his candles on the red velvet cake that I baked for him. Our entertainment for the evening was a bunch of rousing games of “Left, Right, Center” a dice game that takes even fewer brain cells than playing Bunco!
R&N did pull out on Monday and within a few hours a huge motorhome was ready to back in to the tiny, narrow spot where their 18ft trailer had been. The driver of the motorhome came over to chat with H and told him the rangers were going to cut down the tree so they could have room to park there. Can you imagine? Luckily, only several larger limbs were sacrificed. Our ire was not calming so we were glad it was time for us to move. We did – on Tuesday. Time for Moss Park! But on the way we stopped at Brandon Farms for a FANTASTIC quart of huge red sweet strawberries! Close your eyes – can you smell them? Can you imagine the taste?
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