Flamingo #3 (1/24/16)

The weather is improving with sunshine and temps back in the 60's. Tomorrow even better.  Got chilly  last night and we woke up to 55* F inside Bounder this morning. Brrrr! I cranked up the generator and soon we were toasty and enjoying a nice breakfast. after bacon and eggs, the Admiral and I took a long walk down by the bay where we found a seaside bench. Here we watched the birds and the fisherman and enjoyed the beautiful view at low tide. Many seabirds, including an Osprey family, mother and to youngins, getting in some flying practice.  We also spotted a number of Hawks.  Interesting birds everywhere!

This afternnon I biked over to the visitor's center for a ranger talk on Pythons.  They have become a huge problem here in Everglades park, with no solution to their growing numbers. Since I have no internet I will load some pictures when I can!

Overall a routine and peaceful day! 

Flamingo #2

I've always prided myself on being a lifelong learner.  I have enjoyed my first two days here and knowledge has been gained.  I now know that Manatees live up to sixty years.  Vultures poop and pee on themselves to protect against foreign bacteria in carrion. Sawfish have a chainsaw like appendage used to dig out and chop up food found under the bottom sand. Mosquitos can detect me at great distances before moving in for the kill (Only the female bites). Nature is diverse and fascinating!

My appreciation has been sharpened by several ranger talks. This morning we spent an hour observing over fifteen kinds of shore birds diving and swooping and just resting on the mud flats at low tide.  Osprey and vultures circle and dive in their aerial duels. In addition to this I get to breathe fresh air blowing off the sparkling waters of Florida Bay and feel a soothing warm breeze on my face.  Ahhhhh!

That was this morning.  Now there is a cold front blowing through and it is raining and blowing outside. We are hunkered down for the afternoon here on Bounder reading and relaxing.  This is the view from my front window:

The good news it is seventy and raining and not cold and snowing like the northeast. I'll take It!

Flamingo!

Here we are at the southern tip of the Florida peninsula!  To get here we had to drive 38 miles into the heart of the Evergklades on a scenic two lane highway with little or no traffic!  We got settled into our campsite which is basically a patch of grass and a picnic table.  It is a very nice location, but amenities like water and sewer hookup are out of the question.  We are OK with that as Bounder has everything we need. We carry our own water and bathroom, and we can make our own electricity to power our fridge and appliances. The fridge also runs on propane and we have that, also. All the comforts of home,or at least most of them.

So why are we here? It's all about the scenery, nature, and education! Today I have already seen 2 Hawks, 3 osprey, 1 alligator, and a number of vultures.  The beautiful Gulf of Mexico and some great fishing are right here, also.  We attended our first park ranger lecture this afternnon and tomorrow morning we have a ranger led nature hike.  :-) 

I have taken sone pictures but it will be a while before you see any of this as we have no phone and no internet!!  Joanna is coping very well so far! 

Now I know what RV means!

This has been our location for the past week here at Lazy J RV Park. I had a little trouble getting the RV across the blue bridge, but I eventually squeezed us over. (That is Bounder behind the palm tree.) Lazy J is a folksy place and our hosts, Ted and Barb, are just down home good people.  We have enjoyed being here and are planning to come back. Today we were supposed to leave to head south for Flamingo.  Got up this morning keyed up and ready to go.  

unfortunately, the admiral advised me that she had discovered a leak in the bathroom. Further investigation indicated that she was correct. Our first challenge! I consulted Ted who recommended we go to Chuck at "RV Tech" and are we glad we did!!! Chuck quickly diagnosed the problem, a faulty toilet seal, and quickly made it go away.  Well done!! By the time we got back to our site, it was too late to head south, so we postponed our departure until the morning. Had a nice dinner at Miller"s Ft. Myers Ale House nearby,  and I highly recommend their Tuesday special, Ossa Buco! Got home feeling full so we took a pleasant walk in the bright sunshine. Still cool and in the 60's, but overall a very nice day. By the way, while we were at RV Tech, employee Gary politely informed us what the letters "RV" really stand for: Ruined vacation!  LOL!  Fortunately for us it was a minor blip! Now to relax and get ready for tomorrow's adventure!!!  

Dropping off the face of the earth!

We are heading south into the Everglades on Tuesday for 2 weeks in Flamingo.  Where is that you ask?  Right at the tip of the Florida peninsula deep in the Everglades National Park. There is a strong probability we will have no "signal" during our time there.  I love it but the Admiral may struggle when she sits at the control panel with nothing to control!! Not much there, but that is great because I wanna see wildlife and stars at night.  I do not want to see crocs or pythons!!! One mighty sage I know recommends not stepping outdoors at night without first shining a light on the ground.  Good advice!!

Tomorrow Little Damiana, my grand niece gets baptized :-) and Monday will be spent provisioning and getting ready to ship out. We have been busy, busy , busy so far on this vacation.  I am looking forward to some quiet time. (And lots of fishing!)

Photobombed

Ashley got me in front of Edison statue. He is larger than life!

This is for Linda :-)

Some have asked what the "new" motor home (We call her Bounder) is like so here are a few of my thoughts:

First, there is a great work station for Joanna, queen of the internet. A big comfy control chair from which she can manage world events minute by minute.  <-----This is not a joke. 

There are all the necessary creature comforts, including a nice relaxing chair for El Capitan to take naps in when necessary. We have ac, heat, shower, nice island queen bed, and a generator to power it all when we go off the grid.  This is exactly what we plan to do next week when we head for the Everglades. Then we can fire up the stove and cook hearty meals right here "at home".

We have a tow dolly for our car which we will pull behind us when we leave here. So far the motorhome has been pretty sweet, with only one minor repair involving my porch light. And BJ loves it too!

About all we really need right now would be a couple of cuddly grandkids bunking on the couch!!!

German Boys!

We took the ladies, Mary and Ashley, to the airport in the pre-dawn hours this morning.  We parted sadly after a great week and visit!  Last night they stayed aboard Bounder with us, as we are very close to the airport. (We moved to the Lazy J RV Park after a week at the German club. )
The big joke all week has been that we were going to find them some nice German boys to date.  We went to dinner at the German Club last Friday and saw plenty of German boys alright, but of course not a single one under the age of 60!! Ha!  This is Florida...the home of retirees!!! No nice German boys in sight!

We've had some laughs this week and have had fun counting each other's goofs.  Mary finally made one last night to take the pressure off of the rest of us! We miss them already!!! They are great fun and we would have them back in a flash!!

Now it's back to every day reality.  Today will be spent getting a handle on my prescription meds.  Gotta change them all over to a new provider due to new insurance coverage provider. It is complicated but needs to get done so I can keep my meds flowing. Phone calls and internet. Bah humbug!

The Girls From Ipanema

"Tall and tan, and young and lovely, the girl(s) from Ipanema walks softly, and when she passes, each one she passes goes...ahhh!"

     So goes a song from yesteryear that is dear to my heart, as are my granddaughter Mary, and her   friend, Ashley.  They have spent the past week visiting with us here in Florida and we have had a great time! Each day we pick them up at my sister-in-law's house where they are staying.  Gerhard and Diana have been wonderful hosts. Then we go on a new "adventure" here in sunny Florida.  We have had a memorable week with plenty of goofs and gaffs which we call "wit marks".  (Think half-wit).  I believe I have garnered the award for most wit marks this week with Nonna a close second.  As of this evening, Mary has not had a single one!  Darn her!!

     We will be sad when they fly away on Thursday!!! Ashley is on the left in the first picture and Mary is on the right.

Here's to you ladies!!!

Mary and Ashley arrive at the airport for a week in paradise. Those smiles are real!

Our Cape Coral digs

We are staying out behind the German American Club. Peace and quiet on a beautiful day!!!! Sunny and high 70s!

Cape Coral

     We arrived at Cape Coral yesterday for a 2 week stay visiting with family.  We are staying out behind the German American Club in our own "private" park. At least it was until this morning when everyone showed up for "work day". It seems that Wednesdays are the day when the club members show up to do maintenance.  I opened my door to find half a dozen guys standing around with quizzical looks and lots of questions about who we were and what we were doing there. I answered all and tried to make some new friends.  Carl and Walter especially made me feel at home and we had a nice chat.

     Then Doug informed me that Bounder was in a bad location...blocking the entrance to the supply shed. So this began a 20 minute drill to move the motorhome to a more convenient location.  First bring in the 2 slides, then bring up the levelers, unhook the water and power, and make the move.  Then reverse the process and get set up.  Whew!  Oh well, I was glad to do it to keep us out of harm's way!

     Carl and Walter invited me up to the clubhouse for coffee and later for lunch.  I couldn't make it today (got busy and lost track of time) but will try next week! A good bunch of guys these Germans and I would like to get to know them better.  Overall an aging group.  (Many of them fought in WW2, for the other side!!!)  What they need is an influx of new blood in the form of some younger members.  Alas, there is little interest in this type of organization on the part of today's youth.  I fear for the future of this wonderful outfit that contributed over 35k to local charities last year!

     This afternoon was spent unloading the car and replacing the starting battery in the motorhome.  Overall a productive day!!

Hit the road, Jack!

Cub pasta maker

Bounder

BJ watching tv at hotel

And away we go!

We are off and running on our Creaky Cruisers 3 month vacation adventure!!! 

Left home base on December 29th in a Volkswagen packed like the Clampett's heading to Beverly Hills!  Heading south we spent two wonderful days with "the Sandys" in North Carolina. We welcomed in the new year with them and Sandra taught me how to make homemade pasta.  Boy was it yummy! Thank you Sandersons!!!!!

The last 2 days have been spent driving south to link up with Bounder in Lake Alfred.  Excited about the rendezvous with our new home tomorrow and looking forward to the next few months!

Traffic on the way down was not bad at all but pretty steady the further south we got.  Always amazed at all the speeding "left laners" who jam up the passing lane.  The words "Keep right except to pass" have no meaning down here. 

Also, We have spent the last two nights at hotels next to the interstate.  I am amazed at how strong the highway fumes are that drift over by our hotel. Phew!!! Not a healthy situation!

In the "Eating out while traveling Dept ; If you are trying to avoid high salt intake like me, you gotta be really careful!  I am amazed at the amount of salt being used to prepare the food.  No wonder America`s blood pressure is on the rise!

Overall, Florida is a good place to be, except for the traffic. We have a plan for that!  It's called Flamingo!