Round and Round!
The GPS led us West, then North, and then said, “ Make a U turn as soon
as possible”! Again and again! One time we ended up at Animal Kingdom. The next time around we took a chance and
picked the roadway to the A K Lodge. Lo
and behold there was another road that led off of that path and we escaped the
Disney Maze and soon we were finally out of the traffic congestion of Orlando
and onto quieter back roads to Plant City, Brandon and the peaceful Lithia
Spring Hillsborough County Park.
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| Camping at Lithia Spring |
Lithia Springs is not the most kept up, modern campground by
any means. (SPFB!) but there are some good improvements being made! All of the NEW electrical AND water hookups
are now on the right sides and closer together! The narrow winding road is being cleared somewhat making it
easier to maneuver rigs thru the thick forest/jungle. There are now 2 pull thru sites and we parked in one of
them. Open and spacious! No sappy, drippy pine tree above us this
year! The camp hosts are from near Ann
Arbor Michigan and we’ve had a nice time catching up from last year. Since the weather in this area has been
less than perfect – so was the condition of the Spring. A bit of green slime has built up around
the shallow end but once the locals and all the kids can get back in it – I am
sure it will be back to it’s gorgeous sparkling blue. The little white nippy fish are still there!
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| Two weeks on the road |
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| Four weeks on the road |
Our beautiful amaryllis is just that – BEAUTIFUL! Regal and tall and in full bloom with more
buds to open! She even has a second
stem arising from her thick base, which will produce 3 or 4 more blooms. Her double-layered pedals are pearly white
with coral streaks of color emitting from a deep center of soft pale lime
green. Her bloom is 9 inches
across. As each bloom fades, there will
be another opening to take its place. I
will be able to enjoy her beauty for quite awhile! On cold, windy days, her perch is in the back corner of the
condo, next to the big picture window, where she can catch all the available
light rays. When we pack down to travel
she moves to the protection of the shower stall. Unfit of her beauty, she is humbled and placed inside the empty
wastebasket and secured with my 4 brand new rolls of Christmas wrapping paper
standing around her pot of stems. No
broken stems for her this year!
It is the weekend and our luck for finding Flea Markets fell
flat. Just like our trip to the
Pittsburgh Zoo years ago (and our exit from Disney?), the GPS took us to a
small residential area in Lakeland. No
one at the carryout down the road knew anything about any flea market. Oh well – there was another one listed for
Plant City. HA! That one had moved and if what was left
behind was any inclination as to what had been there - - - It was creepy! Oh
well – time to buy strawberries at our favorite Brandon Farms roadside stand
and make our own shortcake!
DEE-LISH!
