Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Mt. Dora Area
Christmas is over and most of our decorations are now packed under the bed because we’ve moved again and it was easier to just put them away! Our little tree looked nice again this year while it sat on our table and the little blue stockings that were pinned to the curtains over the couch were cute. Saturday after Christmas Sharon and I went shopping and then we all went out for a bite to eat before H and I went back to the “mobile motel” and prepared to move on Sunday.
Trimble Park is just outside Mt Dora and is nestled between two pretty little lakes. There are at least 6 lakes that are all connected in this area! Mt Dora is situated in the midst of rolling hills, which is pretty unusual for being in Florida! The town is old but the downtown is nicely restored and well decorated for Christmas. The local marina has been decorated to the hilt and rivals some subdivisions for the amount of colorful lights. In the evenings, folks are out enjoying the weather and the fabulous display.
Trimble Park campground is small with only 15 spots but 10 of them are waterfront and very spacious and well shaded with big trees and green palmetto bushes. There is a hiking trail that has a brand new boardwalk that follows the outline of the shore, thru the green “jungle” and tall, moss draped cypress trees. This morning we saw a Pileated Woodpecker and this afternoon an eagle! By far this is one of the prettiest parks that we’ve been lucky enough to park the “motel” in – so says my resident travel guide who has camped in Florida for the last 40 some years!! And I agree.
Trimble Park is just outside Mt Dora and is nestled between two pretty little lakes. There are at least 6 lakes that are all connected in this area! Mt Dora is situated in the midst of rolling hills, which is pretty unusual for being in Florida! The town is old but the downtown is nicely restored and well decorated for Christmas. The local marina has been decorated to the hilt and rivals some subdivisions for the amount of colorful lights. In the evenings, folks are out enjoying the weather and the fabulous display.
Trimble Park campground is small with only 15 spots but 10 of them are waterfront and very spacious and well shaded with big trees and green palmetto bushes. There is a hiking trail that has a brand new boardwalk that follows the outline of the shore, thru the green “jungle” and tall, moss draped cypress trees. This morning we saw a Pileated Woodpecker and this afternoon an eagle! By far this is one of the prettiest parks that we’ve been lucky enough to park the “motel” in – so says my resident travel guide who has camped in Florida for the last 40 some years!! And I agree.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas One and All !
My, how the time has flown by! Ross Prairie Campground in the Florida Greenway has been our home for the last week. We are parked in an equestrian campground where folks trailer their horses in and ride the many lengthy trails thru the forest and then pack them up and take them back home or they camp in the campground and put up a little coral for them. Two beautiful black horses are camping across the way from us!
Our source of wifi is the brand new library in Dunnellon. Even when they are closed, H can sit in one of the comfy rocking chairs, plug in and tend to his computer stuff! The railings across the full front porch are lined with flower boxes that are stuffed with Poinsettias, coleus, geraniums, and all kinds of tropical plants!
We have been visiting with dear friends Ruth and Jerry from Marblehead Ohio who have a winter home in Dunnellon and with my sister Sharon and her husband Dick. D&S have been introducing us to their fun circle of friends via dinner out at a fun restaurant called Logan’s and then followed up with decadent desserts at their beautiful home in Ocala. Christmas Eve we attended church service with D&S and then followed that up with finger foods and more robust conversation with another batch of friends! Christmas Day we were back to their house by 9am (!) so we could all travel to Dick’s daughter’s home for Christmas Cheer and dinner. Terri is a Judge in Marion County and her nickname is Judge Nasty Pants! She and her husband John welcomed us into their home and made us feel like old friends! Must be - - they gave me a lump of coal as a gift! Next year, I’ll get even!! Dick’s son Rick also joined the group and it was wonderful to finally get to know them all! H and I were exhausted when we finally crawled back to the camper and called it quits for the holiday.
When we’ve not been partying or eating out, we’ve been checking out boat ramps and the neighborhoods near them with houses that are for sale. The one that H had his hopes up for needs lots of TLC and most of the others are not worth the price they are attempting to receive. We’ve driven all the way to Crystal River State Park to check things out in those neighborhoods also. We even met some folks from Point Place where I grew up!
My, how the time has flown by! Ross Prairie Campground in the Florida Greenway has been our home for the last week. We are parked in an equestrian campground where folks trailer their horses in and ride the many lengthy trails thru the forest and then pack them up and take them back home or they camp in the campground and put up a little coral for them. Two beautiful black horses are camping across the way from us!
Our source of wifi is the brand new library in Dunnellon. Even when they are closed, H can sit in one of the comfy rocking chairs, plug in and tend to his computer stuff! The railings across the full front porch are lined with flower boxes that are stuffed with Poinsettias, coleus, geraniums, and all kinds of tropical plants!
We have been visiting with dear friends Ruth and Jerry from Marblehead Ohio who have a winter home in Dunnellon and with my sister Sharon and her husband Dick. D&S have been introducing us to their fun circle of friends via dinner out at a fun restaurant called Logan’s and then followed up with decadent desserts at their beautiful home in Ocala. Christmas Eve we attended church service with D&S and then followed that up with finger foods and more robust conversation with another batch of friends! Christmas Day we were back to their house by 9am (!) so we could all travel to Dick’s daughter’s home for Christmas Cheer and dinner. Terri is a Judge in Marion County and her nickname is Judge Nasty Pants! She and her husband John welcomed us into their home and made us feel like old friends! Must be - - they gave me a lump of coal as a gift! Next year, I’ll get even!! Dick’s son Rick also joined the group and it was wonderful to finally get to know them all! H and I were exhausted when we finally crawled back to the camper and called it quits for the holiday.
When we’ve not been partying or eating out, we’ve been checking out boat ramps and the neighborhoods near them with houses that are for sale. The one that H had his hopes up for needs lots of TLC and most of the others are not worth the price they are attempting to receive. We’ve driven all the way to Crystal River State Park to check things out in those neighborhoods also. We even met some folks from Point Place where I grew up!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Spring in winter
Another Spring! And Winter isn’t here for another day or so! Fished, canoe’d and snorkeled at Silver Glen Springs; camped, fished and biked at Salt Springs. Time to move on to Juniper Springs for a couple of nights where there is NO electricity - - just a gorgeous old spring and wide trails and boardwalks that take you to another but secluded Hemlock Spring. Our pretty little Christmas tree sat out on the picnic table instead of being cooped up in the trailer all day!
All the brochures say that the spring is a constant 72 degrees but we know that it is only 70 degrees! But floating over the deep “V” of the spring and seeing the water rushing up out of it made it all worth the goosebumps that worked their way thru our wetsuits! We sure warmed up fast when we got out because the temps above the water line said 80!
Sunday- Now, winter is here! And we’ve moved to the Florida Greenway, just south west of Ocala and will be at the Ross Prairie Campground for a week. A cold front went thru this evening, complete with a rainstorm that quit just in time to attend Dunnellon’s version of Lights Before Christmas with Santa Over the Rainbow at Rainbow Springs State Park where Santa and Mrs. Claus arrived aboard a lighted pontoon boat.
All the brochures say that the spring is a constant 72 degrees but we know that it is only 70 degrees! But floating over the deep “V” of the spring and seeing the water rushing up out of it made it all worth the goosebumps that worked their way thru our wetsuits! We sure warmed up fast when we got out because the temps above the water line said 80!
Sunday- Now, winter is here! And we’ve moved to the Florida Greenway, just south west of Ocala and will be at the Ross Prairie Campground for a week. A cold front went thru this evening, complete with a rainstorm that quit just in time to attend Dunnellon’s version of Lights Before Christmas with Santa Over the Rainbow at Rainbow Springs State Park where Santa and Mrs. Claus arrived aboard a lighted pontoon boat.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
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