Fort Myers

See Previous Florida Blogs!!  SPFB!!   WP Franklin Campground is on an island in the middle of the Caloosahatchee River that flows from Lake Okeechobee, west to the Gulf of Mexico at Ft Myers.  This elongated island has a dam and a boat lock

attached to it, which in turn straddles the river.  From the south side of the lock and dam is the day use/swimming area and the observation deck where visitors can watch an assortment of boats slowly slide cautiously into the dark water of the lock.  When the mighty steel gates creak to a close behind them,

the equally mighty gates at the other end, slowly begin to allow tannic river water to gush in, bringing the water level inside the lock up (or down) to the level of that gate.  Once the churning water has become equal, the gate is fully opened and the boats are free to finish their voyage, either up or down the river.  On the bright sunny day we chose to revisit the south side park, the banks were edged with hopeful fishermen watching over their filament lines cast out into the calm water outside of the lock.  As luck would have it, a tourist vessel out of Ft Myers was entering into the lock along with several private boats.   We joined the other spectators on the long steel observation deck to watch the “locking thru” process.  Down below us in the confines of the closed gates was a pair of manatees that chose that moment to come up for a breath of fresh air!  Then the upper gates opened and the large animals disappeared again.  The fancy white riverboat with the big red fake paddlewheel on the back exited the lock into the wide river, pivoted around and retraced her route back into the lock to finish the tour back down river to her port in Ft Myers.  Also from that side of the river, you can see the entire lock, the dam that was spilling excess water thru it causing a hefty currant, and on the far side, the long sturdy fishing pier and our favorite Florida campground!  If you look just to the left of the light pole in the center of the picture you will see our tan train!  It was a windy day so the awning and sunscreen was rolled up for safekeeping!  The sun rose out our kitchen window and set out our big back picture window each evening so that awning AND sunscreen were really necessary!  

Our days were not all lazy.  We revisited the beach in Cape Coral and even took the trolley back out to Ft Myers Beach and Bowditch Point Park (SPFB!).  As last year when the state was releasing all the water from Lake Okeechobee into the river and eventually ending up on the beaches, the water was brown and murky and the shoreline dotted with dead and dying red seaweed.  The wide white sand beach beyond was still occupied by brightly colored sun umbrellas and way too much body spilling out of way to little bathing suits!!! We spent a day with dear friends B&C, sang Happy Birthday to H, went to the flea market, had lunch and visited with Emily, another of my close friends, and checked on ALL the eagles!  Yes! The eagles still roost in the big tree on the mainland side of “our” island and in North Ft Myers is an eagles nest-near the top of an oak tree-in the middle of a field-next to a church-that is featured on a live web cam!  We even drove out to Pine Island – another tourist and fishing island in the Gulf of Mexico.  We drove to the tiny village of St James on the very southern tip and then north to the equally tiny village of Bookelia, which is actually an island of itself!  The tip of the island has a selection of long narrow piers and docks that reach out into the greenish then finally blue waters as tho they were fingers reaching out to the islands even further out in the Gulf.  The public fishing pier situated at the parking area for the island’s restaurant and gift shop had an ornate white wrought iron gate that separated the paying guests from us curious tourists!  There were several pelicans floating in the water just off of the dock waiting for one of the patient fishermen to catch a fish so they could claim it for their own lunch.  I dared step inside the forbidden gate to snap a picture.  Was the man coming back down the dock coming to tell me to leave??

Of course there is always the return visit to picturesque downtown Ft Myers – both to eat at the Oasis Restaurant and to stroll along the waterfront before crossing over one of the tall bridges that cross the Caloosahatchee to Cape Coral on the northern side.  One visit included a jaunt thru the farmers market that was being held under one of the wide shade giving arches of the bridge and then along the walkway and out onto several piers to watch the boat traffic on the river and the auto traffic speeding up and over the bridge. Then from the top of that same bridge you could see the park where we had just walked, the pier and the skyline of the city beyond.  The riverboat with its distinctive red paddle wheel was missing from her mooring next to the large white building on the waters edge.  No doubt she and her passengers were up the river, going thru the lock at WP Franklin!

We’ve gained more friends!   Our new Trimble Park friends were here!  A couple from Illinois was parked on one side of us but had moved out and then luckily got to move back in to another spot.  Hopefully we will continue to communicate with them also!  There was a set of ladies and their fella’s from Ohio.  Both of the girls were crafters!  We shared our projects – until they too had to move on.  Next door to us was a neat couple from South Carolina - - CLEMSON territory (Sorry Ohio State!!).  These folks grew up in Perrysburg/Waterville Ohio area!  

Lithia Springs

When we pulled out of Trimble Park we had no definitive place to call home but we still headed south, aiming for either Hillsborough County Park – EG Simmons in Ruskin or Lithia Springs in Brandon.   Lithia Springs Park and Campground, just SE of Brandon Florida had only 3 sites open when we arrived so we selected the biggest and easiest for H to back the train into.  Thanks to H for sharing information about these parks, our new Lansing Michigan friends were here ahead of us!

It’s been a busy week!  We found probably the biggest Florida flea market – the Wagon Wheel Flea Market in Pinellas Park and managed to walk thru most of it but the day was cold, and the wind howled thru the long, open aisles.  On the map, New Port Richey looked like it was just north a bit so rather than make another trip 60 miles from the campground we decided to see if we could find our dear friend Jake and her little cottage style winter home.  With no address and no phone number with us, we took the chance and H drove right up to the front of her house.  Well, we knew it was one of two neighboring homes and the 2^nd door I knocked on was answered by our dear friend and her daughter!  After a nice visit, we checked out the large tree trunk in her side yard that had some Muscovy ducks nesting in the mostly rotted cavity.  As we approached the down padded interior, the female moved and allowed us to view her batch of 30 plus eggs.  I thought there were too many eggs and not enough duck to cover so I touched several and some were cold.  I wondered for how long!

On our way to Ruskin to have lunch with Swanton friends, B&N, we stopped at the Apollo Beach Manatee Observation Park at the steam spewing power plant.  The tide was out and the manatees were all huddled together in the deeper water right in front of the discharge pipes – mothers, babies and manatees of all sizes sliding up and down thru the water to gasp for a gulp of fresh air before slowly sinking back into the life saving WARM water.  New additions to the park include a stingray pool and a 3/ 4 mile long nature trail that ends at a 50 ft tall observation tower.  From the top we had a great view of Tampa Bay, the busy power plant and the manatee filled warm water run, lined by the mangrove jungle along the edge.

Our little fold-up bikes got un-folded and our leg muscles got a workout more than once as we rode along the wide cement bikeways in the adjoining neighborhoods.  Of course the water in the springs had to be inspected up close, too!  The water is still clear but the winter’s coating of green algae still lay calmly at the bottom.   The only disturbance was caused by nesting fish making large bowl shaped depressions in the bottom.  Schools of small fish still darted around the shallow areas.

 One day I got to have a “girls day out” with shopping and lunch with N.   Female conversation with no husbands around!   One day the 4 of us climbed in the bright blue truck and drove to St

Petersburg, across the 6-mile long Skyway Bridge that spans the watery entrance to Tampa Bay.  We had been told about a seafood restaurant  - the 4^th Street Shrimp Store and HAD to go see for ourselves if the food really was good AND reasonably priced. YES to both!!   From there we strolled along the beautifully groomed bay front park and checked out the marina and pier before driving thru downtown and back to the high arch of the Skyway.  To complete the journey we stopped at B&N’s favorite strawberry shortcake store on our way back home.  Like our favorite Brandon Farms, this farm and store is lined with rows and rows of lush green plants that were still dotted with red and ripening fruit.  To extend our enjoyment, we even purchased a quart of big red berries to take home with us.

The beginning of the week started cold and windy but by the end, the weather grew warmer and sunny once again.  We’re heading south while the heading south is good!  WP Franklin – here we come!

Trimble Park

Which do you want first - - The awesome sunset stuff like this or the scary tornado warnings and stormy weather stuff? 

Trimble Park

We’d been in Trimble Park for a week when the weather forecast went from sunny and wonderful to warnings of tornados, damaging winds, thunder, lightening and rain.  H and I were in Sanford when the strong winds started pushing at us, blowing gritty sand in my face and eyes.  The massive big American flag near the marina was hanging on for dear life!  When we arrived back at camp, branches, palm fronds and Spanish moss were being thrown across each campsite.  Then the raucous screech of the weather radio started blasting away with tornado WARNINGS.  H made the decision to head to the cement block bathhouse across the way.  The constant thunder came next, along with lightening that lit up the sky like giant strobe lights above the silhouetted dark trees!  4 more folks and a very nervous little dog soon joined us in our protective shelter!  An hour and a half later, when the warnings had past we dashed thru the downpour of rain back to our long tan train.  Somewhat subdued, the winds continued thru the night and the entire following day!  Across the lake in Leesburg were reports of hail the size of quarters and 60 mph winds.   10 miles to the east in Apopka and to the south in Orlando there were power outages!   The bad stuff is over now and our golden sunsets have returned!

Before the storm, the weather was great and H made the most of it.  We were normally on the go each day.  Several times we stopped in the waterfront town of Tavares - the Seaplane City of Florida!  Each time we walked the waterfront park there were different planes either splash landing or taking off from their watery runway.  It was fascinating to watch their landing gear either unfold and extend to provide wheels as they

rolled up the boat ramp to deplane their passengers or the reverse as they re-entered the water for another flight.  On our second visit a boat like plane with one broad wing above rolled out into the choppy water.  As before, the wheels rolled up and out of the way.  This time tho, the 2 folks in the plane seemed to be weighing the small craft down causing it to wallow in the rolling waves!  The pontoons took turns lifting out of the water – trying hard to balance the low-slung red “boat”.  With our encouragement, it finally lifted!

One warm sunny day we found the Lake Apopka North Shore Driving Trail and obeyed the one-way signs that led between the dark waters of the bayous and the grassy swamps that now surround the NE side of the lake.  Florida had purchased 91

wild life preserve

THOUSAND acres of farmland surrounding the polluted lake and turned it into a preserve, attempting to filter out the old fertilizer residue before it emptied into the lake and to give the vast variety of wading birds and ducks a safe home. Gators too!

H obeyed the one-way signs but not the 10 mph speed limit signs so we zipped thru the wilderness in licitly split time – hardly giving me a chance to snap any pictures of the different birds.  Admittedly, I had probably seen most of them before and most likely have pictures anyway!  He did stop for the alligator tho and for a rest stop at the pumping station area where several hiking/biking paths crossed the gravel road that lined the pond.  It was hard to believe that this calm water and all its reflections flowed out to Lake Apopka and the bustling town of Winter Garden beyond.

 

on the water taxi at Disney Springs

Of course we did our usual flea markets, downtown Mount Dora walking tour and lunched at our favorite seafood places.  We even ventured back to Disney Springs in Orlando.  We parked, as before, in one of the multi storied parking garages that kept track of parking spaces with different colored LED lights, and entered the sensory overload of shopping and dining areas.  Disney themed stores lined the wide streets and beckoned parents with small children to spend even more money on the exhorbantly priced merchandise displayed before them!  Even the bakery was expensive - $5 for a single cupcake/$54 a dozen!!  The Lego Store was still popular with all its brightly colored plastic pieces inside and the giant Lego statues lined up outside.  The big green sea dragon still patrolled the lagoon in front of the shop!  The Boathouse still had its collection of antique boats, including the miniature tugboat.  The popular Amphicars were still giving watery tours!  The newest area of the sprawling “mall/village” was the Italian area with its fancy plantings and fountains and very upscale shops.  Were we still in the USA?

Disney Springs

Our stay here on this beautiful peaceful lake is drawing to a close and it’s time to bid adieu to our new friends from states like Alabama, Illinois, Mississippi, Michigan and even Florida!  Thursday evening we’ll have a new home farther south in Hillsborough County.  I wonder where??!!

Manatee to Rainbow Springs

 IF you don’t like the weather in Florida today – wait a day or so and it will change - 2 days rain, then 2 days cold, then 2 days warm and repeat!  While it never got warm enough for these old folks to jump into the 70-degree spring water, we did have some sunshine and a few days to see manatee out in the Suwannee River again.

The next couple days were the cold and damp ones.  A haze had settled in like a feather duster on a spindle bed over Shell Mound Park at the mouth of the river where it meets the Gulf of Mexico. Folks out on the elevated fishing pier were all dressed for the cold dampness as they tried casting their shrimp loaded hooks out in what water was left as the tide slithered out of the bay. Their small children behaved like any bored children and repeatedly threw rocks and stones into the muck below.  Farther out on Cedar Key the foggy haze still lay over everything and you could not see from one end of the waterfront eateries and shops to the other where the slimy boat launch sat empty and ignored.

Inland towards Ocala, Dunnellon and our past favorite Rainbow River State Park we pressed, with hopes of some sunny weather and my long awaited visit with my sister and her hubby.  Sunny - we had - but the COLD soon followed.  High 20’s and very low 30’s at night and barely up to 50 during the day seemed to be the new norm.  My winter coat even came out of hiding from under the bed!   In years past we’ve spent our Christmas’ with D&S but since we came down a different route this year, I had to wait for my hugs and Dick’s fun dose of orneriness. 

 

Straight down Rt 200, on the banks of the Withlacoochee River, sits the rustic old building which still houses the Stumpknockers Restaurant.  I had my first taste of alligator there a bunch of years ago!   My catfish dinner was good but H’s choice of stuffed flounder did not make him as happy.   After our dinner we stepped carefully thru the cypress roots down to the river’s edge. The reflection of the Rt 200 Bridge cast its double image on the dark calm water.  The many Cypress trees showed fresh looking high water marks from all the previous heavy rains.

Hiding among the many tree roots was a large black gator that thought he could make a meal of me!  He attempted to clamp his mammoth gapping jaws on my foot and ankle but I yelled and swiftly grabbed my leg and pulled my very important limb back to safety!  Dick bravely grabbed the reptile’s stiff upper jaw and wrestled the creature back to its previous stoic pose!  A very close call!  And Sharon?  She just shook her head and dared to laugh.

In the “Good Ole’ Days” of camping at Rainbow Springs State Park, the camp was divided into the upper (RV) sites and the lower (tent, trailer and pickup truck camper) sites. The park has been remodeled so the lower area is now all day use and the upper areas have been upgraded and new bathhouses built.  They can erase the fun camping spots below but not the sweet memories of good friends and canoeing and amazing snorkeling on the river!

Our stay at the state park would not be complete without a visit to the clear aqua water of the headsprings.   The many walkways and paths that surround the springs are lined with Azalea bushes and Camellia trees.  At Christmas time when we usually are here, the park is decorated with many sparkling lights that light up all the walkways – this time it was the many Azaleas and Camellias that now shed their delicate glow along the way in shades of red, white and soft pink blooms!

But enough!   Trimble Park just south of Mount Dora, is calling and the weather is warming again.   Let’s see if we can park in one of the nine waterfront sites for the next two weeks.

Happy New Year

Move? We’ve moved and then moved again!  From one seaside state park we headed east along the beautiful “Emerald Coast of Florida” to another seaside state park in Panama City Beach.  We had stayed in St Andrews State Park on our very first winter of retirement – SPFB!  Our site way back then was spacious and backed right up to the bay.  Not so lucky this time!  H had managed to reserve the very last site that was open for only one night.  It was narrow – down right malnourished - just like the rest of the sites in that section.  After much jockeying and frustration the big tan condo was backed in and secured for our short stay.  The “roads” thru the camping areas were not much more than 2-tracks in the sand with palms and pine trees left growing way too close to maneuver around easily.  We witnessed more than one rig have a difficult time getting into his tight spot.  We chose to not even try for another site the next day.

St Andrews beach

We used the afternoon to re-explore the park.  We walked the off white sand cliffs on the beach.  Erosion was still happening and we heard they were dredging the bay to fill in the beach-AGAIN!  It’s Christmas break so the park was full of families and teens!  We took time to walk the fishing piers and watch the seabirds beg for the fish scraps at the cleaning shed.  There was even a tri-colored heron on the roof that sat like Snoopy on his doghouse with his head cocked over the edge to stare down!  

We were packed and out early the next morning – still following the route along the shoreline.  The beautiful beaches had now changed to rocky shallow bays and the road followed obediently along and around each one.

St George Island Lighthouse

H chose to follow a “Scenic Florida Highway” sign and we ended up on a long strand of bridge out over the bay to St George Island.  At the end of the 3-mile causeway was the normal collection of tourist shops, a row of 3-story, parallel townhouses stacked side by side like pastel dominos-ready to fall if nudged.  A tall, stately 1843 lighthouse and keepers house stood guard over a neatly groomed park with plenty of informative signs to read. The lighthouse had been destroyed by storms in 2005 and has been rebuilt using the salvaged bricks. The boardwalk nearby led over the scruffy dunes to the YELLOW sand beyond.  It was cold and windy so there were not too many folks frolicking in the water today!

That afternoon we parked in a small “fishing camp” campground – the Newport County Park on the St Marks River.  Right across RT 98 was the road to the St Marks Lighthouse and Wildlife Refuge.   Last spring the area was damaged by Hurricane Hermaine, and the shoreline at the lighthouse still showed some residual damage.

 

Wakulla lodge

 We chose to spend several nights and so took a day to see if Wakulla Springs State Park was still doing well.  It is!  The agent at the gate had to charge us an entry fee but was nice enough to inform us that we could use that receipt towards any cost of a meal (breakfast!) at the restaurant in the lodge.  The lodge was and is still a step back into a grander time! Their Christmas tree was still up and the decorations fulfilled the feeling of the era.  A toasty fire was crackling in the huge fireplace. The spring is still a first magnitude spring and the resident manatees still follow the tour boats around and rise to the surface as if on cue.

Wakulla Springs

It was New Year’s Eve and there was to be a big celebration, complete with fireworks that evening in Tallahassee at a park near the capitol building. Since we were not going to be in Tallahassee after dark, we wanted to at least see the park where all the fireworks were to be set off.  It was not on our GPS so we wandered from the east side of town to the west - right thru the Florida State University campus!  Right past the Seminole Stadium - the guys that beat the Michigan Wolverines in the Orange Bowl by ONE lousy point.  We never did find the park. Defeated also – H and I headed back to our snug little winter home.

We’ve gone from the “Emerald Coast”, thru the “Forgotten Coast” where the tenor of the area changed from sparkling water and tourists to tidal flats and fishing villages.  Around and down the “Big Bend” of the Gulf side of Florida we lucked out and got a “walk-in” site in Manatee State Park near Chiefland.   Manatee Springs had been closed a year ago for updating electrical and

Manatee Springs

sewer hookups.  Not much else has been done. From December to April, the actual run is usually off limits (because in the cool weather, manatees come up in the run from the river).  Not so this year.  The kayak and canoe rental is going strong!   During the day, there is still a pod of 4 or 5 manatees out in the area where the spring empties into the Suwannee River and can be seen from the boardwalk, the fishing dock – or from your kayak or canoe!   The spring is still flowing 72-degree clear water.   On one trip to the spring to watch the swimmers in the water, we saw more than just kids bobbing around.  We were

Mermaid in Manatee Springs

amazed to see a Mermaid with long shimmering blue green fins!  H and I even got to talk with her!   Her name is Serena and has wanted to be a mermaid since she was a small girl!    Cool, huh!

Christmas on the Beach

On Christmas Day, while walking on the snow-white sandy beach in 80 degree weather - we came upon these two snowmen who were lounging in the warm sunshine.  Did they really think they could lie out in the Florida sun and not melt?  Did they also mistake the sand for snow?   Didn’t they ever listen to “Frosty the Snowman”?   What was to become of them?

On one of our exploration ventures we found a road that took us out on a guardian peninsula that protects the harbor and all the moored vessels in the bay.  Mansions line the narrow roadway but at the end of it is a long narrow sandy public beach dotted with scrub and clumps of sea oats and a heron that thought he was invisible as long as he stood perfectly still.  The opposite side of the beach is the gulf and a tall white dune of sand separates the two.  From this vantage point you could see all the elbow-to-elbow vessels backed into narrow berths with their sterns up against the long wooden boardwalk.  On one end of the boardwalk was the multi layer shopping area with the normal tourist tee shirt shops, a mammoth resort, and a handful of restaurants and bars.  A lighthouse, a pirate ship, zip line towers and palm trees strung with lights complete the collection.

We returned to the Harbor Walk Village side of the bay as the sun was setting and the lights on the docks were starting to slowly illuminate the pathways. We came across this beautifully preserved and painted tree and had to read the large historic sign posted near it. It had once been a 40-foot Magnolia tree that was over 100 yrs old.  In honor of Captain Leonard Destin, it has been preserved and carved with all kinds of sea life.  Double click and see how many creatures you can find.  See the swimmer with his long black flippers?  The eagle?  The other side also has a large sea turtle and sailfish!

Reminiscent of the Christmas Parade, the local pirate ship and tourist ferryboat were still decorated for the holidays and their multicolored lights danced on the now dark waters below as they quietly rested at their mooring.

Pleasure boats were returning to harbor and seabirds where heading for their roosts as the sun settled into the clouds on the far horizon on the distant side of the silhouetted bridge that connects the Oskaloosa barrier island to Destin.

The Christmas Season is in full glory at the Bass Pro Shop and the adjoining modern mall that surrounds it like a village!   Topiary reindeer line the streets, music fills the air and the highlight of it all is the tall, wonderfully decorated Christmas tree in the center square!  A colorful child sized train chugged from one end of the mall area to the other, carrying its small sized passengers as it traveled along.

OH, by the way – H has instructed me to assure you all that he has rescued the melting snowmen and they are being iced down so they will survive to spend another Christmas Holiday with us!!!  COOL!!

We’re hoping your Christmas was blessed and your expectations were fulfilled.

Stay with us – we’re moving again! 

Gulf Shoires to Destin

This may not be one of “THE” Blue Angels but this island also has plenty of these blue Herons!!!  We were walking on the beach and the fishing pier on the bay side of the island and this big fella kept moving out in front of us.  He finally took off just as I snapped this photo!!  He’s flying – and he is blue!

One clear day we chose to try and get closer to the Blue Angels since I was not able to catch them as they roared over our

campground.  We left the island and headed for the Pensacola Naval Station – just in case they would be flying while we were in their neighborhood!  No luck but as in our last trip to this area we did find the Pensacola lighthouse.  It was all decorated in Christmas wreaths and garlands!  The lighthouse sits high on a hill right across the

View of  Fort Pickens from across the bay

bay from “our” island and Fort Pickens.  Zoom in on the picture and you can see the fort and the white sand on the island’s tip.  As the crow flies it’s about 3 miles but by GPS it’s more like 25 miles by road!!    The lighthouse shows up much better while standing on the warm sand on our island while the waves from passing boats splash up on shore.

Pensacola Lighthouse from Ft Pickens

After we first arrived on the island and once all the rain had stopped and the flooding had dissipated, we could see a large black hulk lying on the sparkling white beach at waters edge.  The powerful salvage vehicles had finally been called and the huge skeleton of the shipwrecked vessel had been turned over and drug up to the

road’s edge – causing the newest traffic bottleneck by gawkers wanting a better look  - or maybe a picture?!  

We strolled thru the Civil War part of the Fort once again (SPFB!) and the limestone secretions were still there and maybe the stalactites were getting a bit longer as they clung to the damp roof of the ancient arches.   We found more WWII batteries outside of the thick brick walls of the original fort and climbed up their steep black steps to view the gray clouds that were covering up the sky that day.

Our other new friends, Richard and Rachael moved out on Saturday to get ahead of the next predicted thunderstorm and we finished packing up to head out ourselves on Sunday.  I would love to hear from both of my newly gained Alabama girlfriends again!

As we drove east along the entire length of the Gulf Seashore Island, it had a light covering of misty fog.  Heavy charcoal clouds hung out over the gulf and showed streaks of rain alternating with bands of sun.  We exited the island at Navarre Beach and must have been the only ones to have noticed the rainbow’s colorful bands against the cloudy sky as the light rain drops fell and the sun burst thru over the gulf!

Henderson Beach State Park is east of Fort Walton Beach, another barrier island bridge and touristy Destin.  When we stayed here 10 years ago on our way to Texas, the road out front was a quiet 2-lane road with just wind blown dunes and a solitary Wal-Mart across the

road.  Now there are towering condos and resorts lining each side of the fast moving 4-lane highway.  The harbor has a boardwalk that stretches the length of shops and restaurants - from the bridge’s span to the distant end of the scrunched together rows of yachts and commercial vessels.  When we were here before it was the winter right after Katrina and I remember several boats moored at the docks were survivors of that horrid storm.   There had been a lighted boat parade that we watched from the boardwalk with all the rest of the folks!  This year we’ve missed it by one weekend.  Drat!   However – like everything else – it has probably grown way too big and way too crowded and maybe not nearly as much fun as before.  That or we’re just getting OLD!!??   Nah, not us!

The campsites and facilities are just as great as we remembered – groomed, private sites and the bathrooms are tiled and heated. 

There is a boardwalk that crosses the rugged dunes like the Great Wall of China but I did not remember it being Sooooo long!!  The cold and wet weather has abated again. The warm sunshine has returned.  Now it’s back to beach walking on the snow white crystal sand with the aqua blue waves lapping at the shore, bike riding and breakfast outside.

On the island off Pensacola we listened to the jets and airplanes that flew from the Naval Station.  In Destin we are just south of Elgin Air Force Base and we get to watch a different crop of aircraft fly over!  More jets, lots of helicopters and we even saw a VTOL!  H said it was a Vertical TakeOff & Landing plane - I called it a cross between a helicopter and a jet!

 Christmas is almost here!  May yours be Merry and Joyous and Bright!