Wednesday - Another Gorgeous Day!

After we watched about 20 minutes of the Morning News, Ken left to walk with Ernie.  I did some clean-up, stretches, and showered till he returned.  We had another omelette breakfast and lots of good fresh fruit!  Ken volunteered to do the dishes (and there were lots!) while I continued cleaning Wilbur.

A couple we met from Maine, Burt and Pat, were coming to the CG around 2:30 and then the 4 of us were going to Casey Key Fish House for a late lunch.  So, we spent quite a bit of time cleaning both inside and out.  The place looks amazing if I do say so myself!

I downloaded photos and worked on this blog and Ken ran the generator for several hours which is a necessary thing to do occasionally. We had such a great phone conversation with Bria, Cali, and Jamie.  Their school was closed today because of some snow but mostly freezing rain.  It has been quite a winter in PA - so sorry I missed all the cold, ice, and snow - NOT!!!! 

Ken vacuumed and I finished the dusting and scouring.  At 2:30 we were sitting outside awaiting the arrival of Burt and Pat, folks we met at the Food Bank and who showed us their condo that they had purchased last spring.  We took them on a tour of Wilbur (a rather short one) and then sat inside chatting.  

Around 3:30 we got into the CRV and the 4 of us headed to Casey Key Fish House for a "lupper".  (Well, almost dinner!).  We were able to eat outside and didn't even have to wait.  This is definitely one of Ken's favorite places to get grouper.  I think Burt and Pat enjoyed their meals too!

What a nice time eating outside with a great view of the water!

From there we took them for the drive on Casey Key Road to see the gorgeous mansions!  When we got close to Nokomis Beach, Ken and I remembered that tonight is the Drum Circle and Burt and Pat said they have heard about it but never been there.  So, we stopped and only had to wait about 30 minutes for sunset.  It was one of the largest crowds we have seen there - at least 500 people!  Crazy when you think they have it every Wednesday and Saturday night!!!

Arriving at the Drum Circle!

The birds decided to join in too!

The sun is starting to set ........

.....going...

.....gone!

We were back to the campground by 7 and they decided to head back home.  Just as we walked inside, I got a call from Doloris a camping friend in PA.  We had a nice, long conversation and are all looking forward to them coming to Florida for 2 weeks leaving PA on February 21.  They will be staying in their 5th wheel in the Tampa area near her sister and her husband, so we will probably only get together several times, but it will be fun!

At 8, Ken and I went over to visit with Ernie and Noela in their screened porch and we had fun just chatting.  Back to Wilbur around 9:15 and right to bed.  We must be getting old!!!

Tuesday - Beautiful Hot, Sunny Day!

Ken went for a walk with Ernie while I did my stretches, read, and got ready for the day.  We had a light breakfast because we planned a trip to Costco and Sweet Tomato today.  It got into the low 80's with lots of sunshine and only a light breeze.  Actually rather warm.   They are predicting 80+ degrees for the next 10 days, rather different than the temperatures in January!

The 4 of us left the CG at 10:30 and made a stop at Detweiler's Farm Market to get some fruits and veggies.  Then onward to do some hiking and bird watching at the Celery Fields.  I won't bore you with info on the celery fields because I did that the last time we visited there.  We decided to walk up the hill that was created from all the ground they removed when making the man-made bodies of water.  Not much to see, but you did get a great view of the surrounding area.

You can walk straight up the hill or go around - we chose
the easy way around!!

Quite a view!

One of the many man-made lakes!

Not sure what kind of bird but he certainly enjoyed
singing for us!

Then we walked across the road where you get to see some of the birds that come to the area to feed and rest at night.  We were there after 12, so we did not get to see lots of birds.

Noela and I stayed at the gazebo on the boardwalk while Ken and Ernie decided to walk about a mile hike to another look-out point where some people had seen some rosette spoonbills.  Boy, that sure spiked Ken's interest, so off they went.  Well, Ken's wish was fulfilled, because he was able to get a photo of the one rosette that they saw - that makes his trip to Florida complete!

Limpkin!

Blue Heron!

I figure you know these are ducks....

....and turtles!

Love how this tri-colored heron is almost camouflaged!

Egret!

Ken's favorite - the rosette spoonbill!

What a gorgeous bird!

Cormorant!

Another bird who did lots of singing for Ken and Ernie!

We left there by 2:30 and headed to Sweet Tomato for lunch, for by now we were very hungry.  After all, breakfast was a loooong time ago!  As always, we enjoyed delicious soup, the salad bar, muffins, and of course, dessert.  Everything is made from scratch and so good and obviously we were all VERY full when we left.

Next stop, Costco, where we purchased lots of drinks, some frozen items, etc.  We only returned to the CG at 5:30, so it was a full day.   After finding a place for all our purchases (that is quite a job in a motorhome!), we rested a little and then I finished a picture I made to hang in Wilbur and glued shells to a plain black wooden candle holder I had purchased - it was bright gold when I bought it and really ugly!  Looks pretty good now if I do say so myself! 

Hard to tell, but it is dimensional!

Some of the sea glass, shells, and
sharks teeth we found on the beach!

These are the shark's teeth we found so far this winter and
we really haven't been to the beach very many times!

We went over to Ernie and Noela's at 7:30 and played Racko in their outside screen room.  It was such a mild evening and it was delightful to be outdoors.  I must confess that the men won, again!!!!

We were in bed by 10 after a very fun-filled day!

Monday - A Gorgeous Beach Day!

Ken was up around 6 and I appeared at 7:15.  He left for a walk with Ernie while I got ready, did my stretches, and then started breakfast - omelettes and fresh fruit!

After we ate and cleaned up, we packed our lunches to take to the beach.  We talked with Ernie and Noela before we left and they had errands they needed to do today - no beach!  We left at 9:45 and headed to Manasota Beach to met John and Cindy.  There was a major accident on Route 80, so it took them quite a long time to get to the beach.   Ken and I were there by 10:30 and he left immediately for a long walk on the beach, about 3 hours.  I decided to go on a shark's tooth hunt too.  There were some strong waves on the Gulf today and with the churning of the water, we found lots of shark's teeth.

Can you see the shark's teeth????

More shark's teeth!

The beach wasn't very crowded today!

Cindy and John got there at 12:30 and when I went back to relax, John and I had a good chat.  Cindy and Ken joined us and we all ate our lunches.  Then John took a long walk down the beach and found some VERY large teeth - impressive!  Cindy and I spent time together walking the beach while chatting and searching!  I love spending time with my sister.  

Ken and I left the beach around 5 after a fun-filled day.  I made us salads while he showered and got ready to go to Celebrate Recovery.  He left at 6:45 and I played some computer games (I am making up for the 9 days when I gave up game playing!), showered, and worked on this blog.  I should have made some sea glass pictures for this Saturday's craft show, but I just didn't feel like it!  Have to get too many supplies out with only a few hours to work - just not worth it!

Ken was back by 9 and we watched the show "Better Late Than Never".  It is silly but entertaining!  Bed by 10 after another day to celebrate life!

Sunday - Church and Super Bowl!

We were both up early and did devotions plus I did some stretching exercises for my scoliosis.  I have been doing them daily for about 5 days and hoping they will be beneficial.  Definitely can't hurt, right????

We got ready for church and were on our way to Edgewater by 8:50.  Eddie and Lori Paparo had arrived from back home the beginning of the month and had attended Edgewater Church with us last year.  They met us there as well as Rick and Joyce who attend Bayside Church which is closer to Venice and much like LCBC at home.  They had no "duties" there this Sunday and wanted to check out Edgewater so we were thrilled they joined us.  After a nice time at church (everyone was so friendly), the 6 of us went to Denny's for breakfast.  The food was delicious, but it took a very long time to get our food.  Oh well, it gave us more time to visit!

Ken and I were back at the CG by 12:45 and I felt lazy so played games on my tablet while Ken rested.  We left at 2:45 to go to Rick and Joyce's home to watch the Super Bowl.  We got detoured because of some fires in the area and only got there at 3:30.  We played four rounds of Hand and Foot with the women being victorious but only by 45 points - Crazy!!!

Then it was time to watch the Super Bowl.  It was just the 4 of us because we all wanted to be able to focus on the game and if there are too many people that can be difficult!  What an amazing game.  Foles did such a great job and the Eagles were so "on fire"!  About 1/2 way through the 3rd quarter, the cable went out in their area and when Rick called they said it would not be back on until 1 AM - Are you kidding????  Joyce was able to get it live on her phone, but that was a bit tough for 4 people to watch!  Then Rick remembered that they have a MIFI Card and maybe he could get that to work through his computer!  He worked on that for a bit and YES, he got his computer hooked up to their big screen TV and we were back in business after missing about 5 minutes (it seemed like a very long time!).  I am sure there were many disappointed, frustrated and angry people in the Venice area!  

We left their home around 11 and were both very tired when we returned to Wilbur.  What an amazing day with friends!

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.