Saturday - Cool Morning and Then Partly Sunny and Mild

Ken left for a walk with Ernie around 7:15 while I got ready for the day, cleaned up and started breakfast.  It was an omelette morning and lots of delicious fresh fruit.  More dishes and then time to relax drinking my chai.

We worked together to pack our lunches and then Ken put a new mirror on my bike and took the bike rack and the bikes over to Ernie's truck and put them on the back.  

At 10:30 the 4 of us left to go to Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island for the day.  It is such a gorgeous island with lots of amazing homes and beautiful beach areas.  There are 2 lighthouses, Gasparilla Island State Park, and a bike trail that goes through the island.  We parked around 9th Street and spent about an hour walking the beach and picking up shark's teeth and nice shells.  

Not many people on this beach this morning!

The water is such a beautiful color!

The entrance to this house.......

....just a small house on the beach!

This one isn't too shabby either!

On the hunt!

Lots of whole shella on the beach....

....and Noela was searching!!!  Ernie is supervising!!!

From there we drove to an area with covered picnic tables overlooking the Gulf.  What a gorgeous place to have lunch.  Last time there it was the 4 of us plus Chuck and Melissa and it was so cold we had on hats and gloves.  It was gorgeous and warm today!

What a great place to eat our picnic lunch!

The Happy Foursome!

This lighthouse was very close to where we
ate our lunch.  They have been repairing and
painting it for several years.

It is finally completed and looked terrific!

Yuccas!

After lunch, it was time to ride our bikes, so we drove to the end of the island where there is another light house and a great place to look for more shells.  Back on our bikes to ride to the shopping area in the center of the island to get some delicious ice cream at the Pink Pony.  After riding about 5 1/2 miles we loaded up the bikes and headed back to the CG.  What a nice day and fun adventure!

Another pretty lighthouse!

A nice bike and golf cart path off the road!

Riding to get ice cream.

We showered, downloaded pictures, and I worked on this blog while Ken took a needed rest - he gets up way too early!  Ken grilled chicken and steak and we had a delicious dinner.  Ernie and Noela were here from 7:30 to 9:15.  

Do you remember the game of Hand and Foot we played on Thursday evening?  We played 3 rounds and the men were winning by 3,500 points - a sure win, right????  Wrong!  Noela thought we should finish the game instead of just declaring them the winners and since I still had the score sheet, we decided to play the last round.  Would you believe the women won by about 35 points, because the men never laid anything down and obviously didn't get into their foot.  Wow, what a amazing victory for the women!!!!  We also played one game of Skip-Bo which the men won by a slight about 4 cards.  What a night!!!

Friday- Another Gorgeous, Sunny, Warm Day!

Ken was up early to read and as per usual, we watched the beginning of the Morning News.  We were on our way to Edgewater Church by 8:45 to help at the Food Pantry.

Today was a smaller turnout of people who came for food, but that was probably good because we did not have many desserts or bread items.  We did have an overabundance of bagged lettuce and fruit so it was a healthier day for the recipients.  Ken and I enjoyed our time helping there!

We were able to leave by 12:45 after helping to clean-up.  We made a stop at Wal-Mart for more groceries (maybe we have to stop eating, because it seems like we always need more food!)!  Back to the CG for a late lunch.

Ken was up very early so a nap was in order.  First, he set-up outside again (we had strong winds for several days) including putting out the awning, chairs, decorations, etc.  It was a gorgeous afternoon, so I sat at the picnic table "touching up" my coconut fish that I had painted at home.  They lost some paint when we transported them to Florida and if I want to sell them, they needed some "repairs"!  

Ken and I decided to ride bike around the CG around 4:45 and the weather was perfect for riding.  We did stop at one of the park models that is currently for sale and talked to the owner.  They invited us in to to "check it out"!  Turns out they built it in the park 4 years ago and have decided they would rather be RVing than staying at one place.  It was fun to take a tour.  We rode about 4 miles before returning to Wilbur.

We had salads with leftover chicken and salmon for dinner - delicious!  I worked on this block while watching the Evening News.  At 7:15 we went over to Ernie and Noela's to play cards.  We played one quick game of Uno which the men won.  Somehow the women usually take the lead early in a game, but go downhill as the game progresses!  We had a nice time just talking after the game.

Back to Wilbur by 9:45 and off to bed.  It was another great day!

Thursday - The Perfect Beach Day!

Ken left for the men's 6:30 Bible Study at Edgewater Church and I got up around 6:45.  I did my stretches, showered, and then had a wonderful phone conversation with my good friend, Polly, back in Lititz.  It was so nice to chat with her.

Ken returned for about an hour to have breakfast and then headed back to the church to help unload trucks and set-up for tomorrow's Food Bank.  I spent the rest of the morning dusting and scouring Wilbur while talking to another fantastic friend and fellow camper, Melissa.  She and Chuck are wintering in San Antonio, TX.  We talked about our families, weather, camping adventures, some health issues, and just life in general.  We had such a good time chatting.  

Ken returned around 11 (earlier than usual) and he did some set-up outside while I continued cleaning.  We packed our lunches, changed, and by noon we were on our way to meet Ernie and Noela at Blind Pass Beach near Englewood.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day with lots of sunshine, a slight breeze, and temperatures in the upper 70's - perfect!  All 4 of us spent most of our time walking the beach and looking for "treasures".  Ken found some nice sized shark's teeth and several pieces of sea glass.  I had a good amount of shark's teeth but none of them were very large.

Ken walked way up the beach to look for shark's teeth and
not many people were there!

We all left the beach at 4:30 and headed back to the CG.  Then the work began for Ken and I.  He did dishes while I showered and then I made salads for dinner tonight and tomorrow which created more dishes.  I also got some fresh broccoli ready to roast in my convection oven.  Ken grilled salmon and chicken and we enjoyed a delicious dinner.  Then there were more dishes (how does that keep happening?)!  Ken vacuumed while I finished some cleaning.  We completed everything just before Ernie and Noela arrived to play Hand and Foot.  It was another victorious night for the men but we did get to use our new card shuffler and what a great, little device!  Ken and I were in bed by 10.

Wednesday - Trip John and Cindy's Campground!

Ken and I got up early to go outdoors to see the Super Blood Blue Moon.  The best place to see it was behind Ernie and Noela's campsite.  They joined us for the viewing!  A blue heron decided he wanted to be in on the action!

Notice the blue heron!

Ken and I got ready, made a cooked breakfast, loaded the car, and were on our way to LaBelle, FL by 8:20 to visit John and Cindy.  Their CG is brand new this year and they are there with 4 other couples.  It was about a 60 mile drive and took about 1 1/4 hours.  It really is a very nice CG with large sites that have pavers for both your rig and patio area.  They are facing a man made lake and there is a paver path all the way around the lake.  Obviously the laundry, clubhouse, pool area, pickleball courts and bocce courts are brand new!  They are still doing a lot of work, but have accomplished quite a bit for the 1st year of being open.  For me, it is too far from the coast and sort of in the middle of no where.

John and Cindy's motorhome on their site overlooking the lake!

Love the large paver sites!

A paver walkway all along the lake.  That is the laundry and
shower house in the distance!

We began our day together with the 4 of us playing pickleball and what a fun time.  Only bad thing was the strong winds!  At times it was hard to keep the ball on the court and it took some strange bounces!  After about 5 games, we sat at their site chatting and meeting some of their friends.  Then we took a walk around the CG checking out all the building and amenities.  By then we were hungry and drove to The Log Cabin, a great small restaurant for pulled pork.  What a treat at such reasonable prices.  You got a pulled pork sandwich with 2 sides for $7.29 and then got complimentary soup and a scoop of ice cream - what a deal and it was all delicious!

The Log Cabin Barbeque Place

The food was excellent!

Back to the CG for about 3 more games of pickleball.  Amazingly, my back and hip were very cooperative today and we had a great time playing together.  Back to Harvey (their motorhome) where we played one game of Skip-Bo won by the men.  What a special day with John and Cindy!

We left around 5:30 and I got to talk with my mother during the drive.  Both she and dad are doing so well and I am so thankful.  Ken had his leftovers from last evening and I decided I wasn't hungry!  I had plenty for lunch.  We watched some TV and then walked over to visit with Ernie and Noela.  The 4 of us sat outside in their screened porch area with a fire.  We chatted for about an hour, than it was back to Wilbur and to bed after a fun filled day!

Tuesday - Cool, Windy Day!

We watched the Morning News and then Ken met Ernie for his walk.  I did some stretches and got ready for the day while he was gone!  We actually made eggs for breakfast with MEAT, our 1st meat since Sunday a week ago.  It tasted so good!

Ernie and Noela decided to take a road trip (160 miles one way) to Shark Valley for the day.  We made plans to have dinner with Rick and Joyce, Lori and Eddie, and Marilyn and Gene, all members of LCBC back home, at 4 today, so obviously we would not have been back in time had we gone with Ernie and Noela.  They had been invited to join us, but decided to decline the offer since they hadn't really done anything outside of the CG yesterday.  I understand that!

After breakfast, Ken and I did some chatting and then played a game of Hand and Foot which he won again!  We did some messaging back and forth with members of Life Group.  2 couples are home in PA  (had planned to come to Florida) going through some tough health challenges.  We miss them and are only now realizing how special last year was when we would all get together at least once a week for about 6 weeks.  My what a difference a year can make!!!

I decided to spend time working on a new picture project I wanted to attempt to make and with Ken's help, I think I have it "figured out"!  I understand the process but have to finalize what I want to include in the project.  Hopefully I will have a picture of the finished project soon to post of this blog!

Ken rested while I talked to Cindy and worked on this blog.  I also ordered scrapbook pages I created for Valentine gifts for our granddaughters of our camping adventures with them this past summer.

We left at 2:15 and went to Nokomis Beach to spend about 45 minutes combing the beach.  We thought it would be so windy and cool, but it was only slightly breezy and rather warm.  It felt good to be outdoors.  We met Rick and Joyce, Eddie and Lori, and Gene and Marilyn at Briandi's at 4 for another great Italian meal and time of fellowship!

Obviously it was later in the day and cool and very windy...

...but so pretty!

After dinner, Gene and Marilyn went back to Sarasota and the 6 of us went to Rick and Joyce's to play Hand and Foot.  The women were winning big time when we went into the 4th round, but the men had an unbelievable round.  None of the ladies were able to get into their Foot - Crazy!  So they were the HUGE winners!  Eddie and Lori are spending 2 nights with Rick and Joyce before they move to their CG near Punta Gorda till the end of March.  The 6 of us will spend more time together in the next 2 months.

Ken and I were back to the CG by 9:30 and went right to bed.  What a wonderful day!

Monday - Mostly Cloudy in the Morning but Then Sunny!

Ken was up by 5:45 to do some reading.  We watched the Morning News when I made an appearance!  Ken left to walk with Ernie while I got ready, did some stretching, and some clean-up.  Everything was very wet outside after about 2 3/4 inches of rain, rather unusual for this time of year in Florida!

After breakfast, we walked over to Ernie and Noela's to discuss our plans for today and tomorrow.  I wanted to spend one of the days doing some crafting.  Because of the winds and weather prediction for today, Ken and I decided to hang out at the CG today.

I wanted to make a trip to Hobby Lobby to get a few supplies that I couldn't find at Michael's yesterday and Noela decided to go along.  It was a successful trip!  When we returned to the CG, it was time for lunch and Ken and I ate outside.  It was sunny and warm, a beautiful day.  Then I got out all of my supplies for doing sea glass pictures and the fun began.  It takes so much time to sort through the sea glass and find the right glass for making palm trees, sailboats, birds, etc.  Months again, I had separated the glass into plastic bags labeled for the shapes I thought they could be used for, but the pieces still have to be "matched up" and that is the time consuming part!  I spent about 3 hours sorting and making pictures.

Jamie called and the 3 of us had a great conversation discussing the movie, this weekend's swim meet, etc.  It was so good to hear from her!

Ken did a lot of different jobs outside - working on our bikes, cleaning shark's teeth, washing car windows, etc.  Then he made salads for us for dinner.  Late afternoon, Ken and I did some bike riding around the CG and then met Ernie and Noela at the shuffleboard courts where the men won both games.  We should have won the last one, but I made some "dumb" choices and the men were able to "take advantage".  Actually, they won fair and square!

We returned to Wilbur and Ken showered while I warmed up leftovers!  He left at 6:45 for CR and I made a few more sea glass pictures.  Then the clean-up began.  It is amazing what a "mess" I can make while doing my craft projects!  Ken was back by 9 and I worked on this blog.

We were in bed right after 10!  It was a rather relaxing day but we got a lot accomplished!

Sunday - Relaxing Day and Lots of Rain by Late Afternoon!

Ken and I left by 9 for Edgewater Church!  It was a cloudy morning but in the 60's.  Again, it was so nice to see familiar faces at the Church and to know many people by name!

It was a great sermon on gossip - why we do it and how to avoid getting "caught up" in it with the Bible as the authority!  It is something I definitely need to work on and I believe that is true about a lot of us!

We had planned to go out for breakfast because we were ready to have one of those special breakfasts at Denny's.  Neither of us have had any meat since last Sunday when we started a "fast" that was a challenge by the Church that Rick and Joyce attend.  The minister suggested that each person pick something to "give up" for a week that would be a sacrifice.  Rick, Joyce and Ken gave up soda and meat plus Ken limited his sugar. I chose meat also as well as any games I play on our I-Pads, etc.  It proved to be an interesting week and probably easier than we anticipated.  We decided not to go out for breakfast because of eating at a local pizza place tonight.  Ken dropped me off at Michael's and he headed to Wal-Mart for a few groceries.  

We were back to the CG by 12:30 and stopped to chat with Ernie and Noela to finalize plans for later today.  After eating lunch, Ken and I worked together and made a double batch of oat bran muffins.  It took a while and so did the clean-up.  We did have the opportunity to again watch Bria swim.  She had a great weekend meet swimming in 9 events and improving her time in 7 of them.  It certainly was a lot of swimming!

At 3:45 we picked up Ernie and Noela and headed to the movie theater to see The Greatest Showman!  What a phenomenal movie and Hugh Jackman was amazing!  Jamie's family had seen it and said it is a must see!  She was so right.  The 4 of us totally enjoyed it!  It was raining so hard when the movie was over, but Ken and Ernie ran to the car and then came back to get us with umbrellas - what good guys!  We went to Bocca Lupo Pizza Shop as recommended to us from some folks at church for their coal fired pizzas.  They started the coal fired oven in 2010 and it has burning since!  The pizza really was delicious.  It was still pouring when we left Bocca Lupo.

We were at the CG by 7:30 and Ken and I played 3 rounds of Hand and Foot with him being in the lead.  We were in bed around 9:30 and did some reading.  We definitely made the best of a rainy day.  Everyone should see the movie!