And away we go!

After a year of planning and preparation we are finally on our way west! Yesterday we left Ft. Myers and now we are in Webster, Fl. on our way up I-75.  Stopping here for 2 days so we can visit with my sister-in-law, Dawn, and her husband, Larry. We are also going to get a special inspection of our motorhome here at Sumter Oaks RV Park. Basically, a weight distribution inspection to see if we are loaded correctly and ready to roll. (a safety thing)

Although we are traveling in a modern form of transportation, we are still conscious of how Americans went west in an earlier time. Those brave and adventurous settlers risked everything to reach a new land thousands of miles away. We risk very little as we wander the same path as visitors and viewers. That does not mean we won't have some challenges of our own. It takes some "gumption" to get up and go west in a 32 ft. box, and we will be "spinning some plates" on the road ahead: Traffic, fuel, route planning, places to stay, weather, maintenance, and food needs. It all requires a certain effort on our part, but should reap great rewards along the way.

Still in warm, sunny Florida for the next few days!!

For BeeJay this trip is no big deal! This cat has done the ICW 2 times!!!
Same for Scamper who hunkers down just fine, but Teddy, the new kid, is not a good traveler yet.  He hides!

Mystery cake

First a pinata...then a cake. Diana and Terry dive in. Boy or girl? Hint: Cake was blue.

The big reveal ceremony

Ian and Heather made us work really hard to discover whether they are having a boy or girl.

My nephew, Ian, his wife Heather, and little Damiana with Joanna. Heather has round 2 in the oven!

Dude ranch ending...

We made the move over from Stuart to Cape Coral for this week so we can visit with my brother and sister in law. Good to be with family! Had a swell dinner with them last night expertly prepared by Gerhard but sadly I can't pronounce it: Chicken paprikos is what I thought I heard.

We are staying at Swan Lake RV Park in North Fort Myers. Very nice place and everyone is extremely friendly. Will be getting organized for the big push starting next week. Need to do a few maintenance jobs on the bus before we go. Right now I'm milking the "dude ranch" aspect of things but that will change.

Glad to hear there is a warm spell up north.Too much snow build up! Weather here been great but it looks like some much needed rain tomorrow.

Shout out to my sister-in-law Elizabeth who has a new hip! Airport security will never be the same!!

Just lounging on the lanai!

short timers

Sunday we head for cape CoralTomorrow is our last day in Stuart. Boy did that go fast! Dinner tonight with Hinmans and Bossingers at....yup....a mexican restaurant. And boy is this a good one. I guess when you get old it's all about the food!!! Sunday we head over to Ft. Myers.

Ocean Blvd. 2

Had some trouble posting some stuff the past few days. Sorry!  We took a trip to the beach and drove up the coast to Ft. Pierce the other day. Weather has been just so pleasant but I am sure you guys up north are sick of hearing that! Just remember that when hurricane season arrives, you won't hear a peep from down here.
On another note, kept looking for an ice cream stand on our journey and the only one I saw on the whole drive was out of business. Hmmm....
They are talking record heat here today...87...so we may lay low a bit.

Ocean Blvd

At the beach

At the gym

Trying to post some blog entries but can't get the photos to upload so I took this one as a test. Darn technology!
This is my last week at the Y. It's been a good experience overall. I actually have some muscles and "ran" the other day for the first time in a decade! Not ready for a speedy just yet but I can see my belt buckle!

Snake!

     Sitting here in the "coach" watching a pair of black snakes making their way along the brush line.  I realized I haven't posted in a while.  We have had another great week in paradise.  Spent some time with Nancy and Charlie Hinman on Tuesday. Lunch at King Neptune and then over to see their beautiful condo here in Stuart. Could've sat on their enclosed porch all evening. Good company and a great view! Congrats to them on their new getaway home in paradise.

     Last night we had Skip and Kathy over to do some moonlight eclipse watching around the firepit. They brought along two wonderful rescued dalmations that i would adopt in a minute if not for the fact that we have 3 cats! Nice fire but not much of an eclipse.  Very bright moon though.

     We are heading into our final week here in Stuart. Time has flown by and the weather has been phenomenal!!!

The lock

This is the St. Lucie Lock near where we are staying. Out for a walk!

Huh?

I guess if you go to the meeting, you get free shoes?

More Small World!

     Yesterday I went to the YMCA to work out. Had my SU shirt on. I figure with the latest run they have had it is now safe to wear. (Especially after upsetting #9 Virginia today to get Boeheim's #1000!).
Anyway, some young guy walks up to me and starts talking about Syracuse. Pretty soon I find out he went to Oswego State! Then I find out his roommate was a kid from Sandy Creek...Brian Wilder. How about that?

     Need more? Today I went bike riding. A little road work on a beautiful day! OK, so I am riding through this nice folksy looking neighborhood on a dead and road. As I pass by one house a big dog starts to runout at me.  Uh...oh!

     I am safely by but of course I will need to come back this way.  What now? Up ahead at the dead end turn around there is a guy blowing grass clippings. I decide to stop and ask him about the dog. A minute later I find out Scott is from Indian River and played point guard on the basketball team when I was coaching against them for Sandy Creek. C'mon....this is crazy!!!

     We had a great chat about the good old days in the Frontier League when little Sandy Creek would play against Indian River, three times our size! We were always a "tune-up game for them but I loved the difficult competition for my team.  Oh and by the way, the dog has an electric fence. I was fearless as I road by the barking behemoth on the way home!

And here is a shot of "the big guy" arriving home from his workout:

Mattress Day!

E.J. Schrader is a company in Palm Beach that is family owned and makes mattresses. We first bought one for our boat years ago and loved it. and today we got our 2nd one. This time for the motor home. They delivered right here to our park! Out with the old and in with the new. Extra firm!!!!! No, not me, the mattress!! I will sleep like a king tonight!!!! Hey Joanna, no funny stuff!

Beautiful day today so I went for a bike ride! Hello ibis!!

It's a small world!

It's a small world after all! That Disney music always gets stuck in my head, but it is true. I sold my boat, Cross Roads, 2 years ago after 12 years of ownership in North Carolina. The guy who bought it lived in Wrightsville Beach,  which is far from my New Bern home base in NC. I figured I had seen the last of her.

Not long ago I got a call from the latest owner who now keeps the boat here in Stuart...about a mile from our RV site!!! Are you kidding me?  Not only that but Cross Roads is in the same slip we occupied when we were here in Stuart 3 years ago! Wow!

We just spent 3 hours with the new owner, a gal named Cheryl Snyder and we had a ball visiting with her and her dad! The new owner will take good care of her so we are happy. Still a great boat with lots of life, but a thorough inspection today revealed lots of maintenance work to be performed that I am glad I do not have to do!! I guess I'd have to say my boating days are over, unless someone is planning to take me on a cruise!!!

                          Dwayne, Cheryl's dad, Joanna, and Cheryl in the companionway.

Goodbye old friend!