Spent Time on Nokomis Beach!

Yesterday, Sunday, was a windy and alittle cooler day, but we were on Nokomis Beach by 9:45.  It was cooler than I expected.  Ken did a lot of walking on the beach.  I relaxed and read.  Eventually I did walk the beach and we found a decent amount of sharks teeth.  Ate our packed lunch on the beach returning to Willie around 1:45.  Then we went to the ice cream social here at the CG by the pool.  Sat at a table where we met a couple from Lancaster and their friends from Strasburg.  We knew some mutual acquaintances.  It is a small world!  Hard to imagine that we just picked a table to sit at and they were folks from Lanc. County!  The rest of the afternoon was alittle cloudy.  We played some shuffleboard and then spent the evening in Willie. 

Today was a sunny day with quite a breeze!  It was around 74 but started the day in the 50's.  We left the CG on our bikes at 9:30 and headed to The Legacy Trail, riding north.  It is a beautiful trail with lots of people riding and walking.  Chatted to numerous folks along the way.  Got back to Willie at 12:30 after riding 18 1/2 miles.  We ate lunch and were on Nokomis beach by 1:30.  Cooler than I expected because of the breeze coming off the Gulf.  Amazing how large the waves were today.  We read and relaxed on the beach until 3:45 and headed back to the CG.  The laundry needed to be done and someone had to do it, so Ken and I worked together and did all of it before grilling dinner.  Supposed to get into the low 50's tonight and warm up to the 70's tomorrow.  We are hoping to go canoeing from the CG tomorrow.  They hae canoes you can use whenever they are available.  How nice!!

The beautiful Legacy Trail is about 1 mile from our CG!

Very Busy and Fun Day in the Venice Area!

Well, it was an interesting morning!  Ken hooked up our sewer hose today - we only needed 50 feet!!  For you RVers, you know that is a lot of feet of hose!  That is because alll of our hookups are on the wrong side of Willie!  Just how some of the sites are set up in this CG.  It's crazy!  Then he loaded our bikes for our trip into Venice.  I was in charge of breakfast and packing lunches!

We left the CG around 10:30 and headed to the Farmer's Market, part craft show in downtown Venice.  Ken met up with Raphaella Vaisseau who paints 60's type paintings with simple, profound sayings on them.  He almost bought a large poster from her 2 years ago, but decided against it.  He talks about it every time we come to Florida.  So, today he decided which 9 photos he wanted on a poster along with the saying he wanted at the top of the poster.  She will mail it to him the beginning of April.  Ken was excited.  You may enjoy her website at http://www.heartfulart.com/ 

Then we rode our bikes to the 85th Annual Beach Bash on Venice Beach complete with food, music, fun events for kids, and info on Venice.  Back on our bikes to ride to Sharkys Pier and to a beautiful, new park where we ate our packed lunch.  We did some hunting for sharks teeth with limited success.  Then on our bikes again to head to Caspersen Beach.  More searching for Shark's teeth.  Then we rode the Intracoastal Waterway Bike trail and saw many interesting animals and birds - Blue Heron, Florida Scrub Jay, Gopher Turtle, and Dolphin.  Back into Venice after riding 11 1/2 miles.  It was a good ride!

Back to CG by 5:30.  Cooked dinner and then relaxed.  It was a busy and tiring day! 

Bonnie riding the Intracoastal Waterway Trail!
So nice to see all the boats along the way!

The bike trail winds through and around some housing
developments.  It is beautiful!

Gopher turtle eating his supper!

Saw a Dolphin too!

Blue Heron watching a boat on the Intracoastal Waterway!

What a beautiful blue heron!



Another chance to feed peanuts to the
endangered Florida Scrub Jay!



Looking for Sharks teeth on Caspersen Beach!

Dead Stingray on the pier at Sharkys!



Musical group at the Beach Bash on Venice Beach!



This is the artist that Ken order the colorful 60's type
painted pictures from.  Loved the simple, but profound sayings

The doggie taxi was a hoot!!!!

A different use for a segway!

The Farmers Market and part Craft Show
in Downtown Venice!

A Sporty Day at Royal Coachman CG in Venice

What a fun day!  Ken and I started the day by riding our bikes from the CG into downtown Venice.  Since last year, they completed a bike bridge that continues on the trail and crosses over busy Route 41 and into Venice.  You still have to go over a 2nd bridge to cross the water, but you avoid the busy highway.  It is a gorgeous bridge and it is only for bikers and walkers.  Wow!

I finally was able to satisfy my 1 year desire for another scone from the Upper Crust Bakery.  They are the best!  Then we rode to the Visitor's Center for info on upcoming events in the Venice area!  I checked out the huge Bealls Outlet here in Venice.  That will be a must stop one of these days!  These Outlets have some great buys!

Back to Willie after an 11 mile bike ride.  Met Dennis and Gail at the entrance to the CG around 11.  They had checked out of their hotel and plan to leave for the drive back to PA later this afternoon.  So we played a round of miniature golf (Dennis won!), 2 games of shuffleboard (the ladies won both), and then some ladder golf.  All of these activities are free here at the CG.  What a deal!

Around 3 we left for one of my favorite eating places, Sonny's, where they have the best pulled pork sandwiches.  What a good late lunch.  Dennis and Gail were on their way home by 4:45.  So nice to spend time with them here in Florida.

Ken and I made some phone calls, worked on our computers, and took a long walk around the CG.  A beautiful evening, so we played a game of Pinochle outside.  So warm and calm, but Ken won the game.  So sad!!!

This was a busy and relaxing day all in 1.  Did I ever tell you that I LOVE FLORIDA!!

This bridge is 1 of the bridges on the bike/walking trail!
Called the Legacy Trail

Coming up to the new Bridge on the Legacy Trail!

The scones we love at the Upper Crust Bakery!
They are the very best!  Their lemon
bars are excellent too!

This is the new bridge over Route 41!  Quite
impressive for bikes and walkers!

Nesting gopher turtle we saw on the biking trail!

A nice miniature golf course for a campground!

6 Shuffleboard courts at the Royal Coachman!
More strategy than you think is required
to play the game well!

Ladder golf can be competitive too!

Our Return to Royal Coachman in Venice!

Yesterday, Tuesday, we arrived at Royal Coachman.  We had been here last year too, and thoroughly enjoyed the area.  The CG is central to so many beaches and offers great bike riding. 

Dennis and Gail Reddig, part of our card club from back home, are in the area till Thursday evening and we are going to spend sometime together.  They are staying in a local hotel.  They came to the CG at 4:00 and we played some shuffleboard.  Men won the 1st game by a big margin, but the women totally outplayed them the 2nd game.  A tiebreaker will take place later.  Then we went to a site in the CG where the couple loan bikes to guests of the CG for just a donation.  You can keep them for the entire time you camp here.  They also have everything you could need if you have small children with you - car seats, bouncers, pack and plays, strollers, toys, etc.  Really is an amazing service they provide for people who camp here and all for a donation!  Wow!!  Then we ate in "Willie" and played Sequence and Toss Up.  It was a fun night and so great to spend time with friends from back home!  They left around 9:30.

This morning we met Dennis and Gail at the entrance to the CG and began a day of Ken and I sharing our favorite areas of Venice with them.  We drove around in "Diesel" and 1st headed to Venice Beach for some shelling.  It was a gorgeous day with lots of sunshine and around 78 degrees.  Then we walked into town to go to our favorite bakery for fresh scones.  What a disappointment!  I have been waiting a year for those delicious scones and they were out of them.  It would be at least a 1/2 hour for the next ones to come out of the oven.  So, no scones for today!  Then we headed to Caspersen Beach to ride our bikes on the trail along the intrecoastal waterway.  We  saw a bald eagle, a gopher turtle in its nest, and several endangered Florida scrub jays.  They are only found in this area.  Then on to Caspersen Beach to shell and look for sharks teeth.  Not a real successful day for finding sharks teeth, but we found a few.

From there we went to Casey Key Fish House to sit on the dock and have a late lunch or early dinner - whatever!  Ken had his best grouper sandwich.  Then on to the Drum Circle on Nokomis Beach, which takes place every Wed. and Saturday evening right before sunset.  The amount of people who attend is amazing.  You sit on the beach drinking wine while listening to the drums, watching the belly dancers, the ladies who do amazing things with hula hoops, and the older muscle man who does a feather dance.  It is positively crazy.  Tonight was a gorgeous sunset - breathtaking! 

A great day with special friends!

Gail and Bonnie shelling on Venice Beach

"Shelly" was excited about the sharks teeth
and the orange shell Grandma found for PaPa!

The Sunset on Nokomis Beach was incredible!

The drum circle is an event to behold!

This sand sculpture was at the Casey Key Fish House!

The Florida Scrub Jays sat on our hands and took the
shelled peanuts.  They are beautiful endangered birds!

A gopher turtle sitting on her nest!

Bonnie, Gail, Dennis and Shelly on Venice Beach!

Riding on the bike path near Caspersen Beach.
It borders the Intracoastal Waterway!

Last Day on Pine Island!

Could not believe that yesterday was our last full day on Pine Island!  Seems like we just crossed the bridge onto Pine Island and said to each other it was nice to be back to a familiar place - and that was 14 days ago!  Where does the time go when you are having fun!!

After exercise class, we took everything out of our truck, Diesel, and reorganized everything under Willie!  Getting ready for our departure tomorrow morning.  Also emptied the truck so we could take Nancy and Neil with us for a brief tour of Pine Island.  They have never been here before and we wanted to point out some highlights for their week here on the island.  We had such a good time together and never seem to run out of things to talk about.  We had lunch at the Ragged Ass Saloon and were thrilled that we could eat outside on the deck.  The food was delicious and the fellowship wonderful.  We are so fortunate to have met them at the RV-Dreams Rally in Hershey.  They were sooooo excited to be spending time in Florida.  We weren't sure they would decide to come, but really encouraged them to make the trip.  We only overlapped our stays for 2 nights, but it was a special time for us.

Got back to Willie around 3 and began packing the truck and the inside of Willie.  Then we met with our neighbors behind us for a tour of each others rigs and just to sit and chat.  Then we went to Nancy and Neil's for drinks and hordeorves with Betsy and Coy joining us.  More fun and fellowship.  Back to Willie to relax.  Took a walk and stopped to say good-bye to Sandy and Ed, folks who work at the CG.  (We had dinner with them last year!) 

This morning we were ready to head out by 9:45, but spent some walking around the CG saying good-by to old and new friends.  Regina and Paul are planning to come to Venice to spend a day with us.  They are anxious to have us show them around the area - they will bring their bikes too!

We arrived at the Royal Coachman CG in Venice at 11:30, but could only get on our site around noon.  Ken did a great job  of getting into our space.  But after we were in, we realized all the hookups are on the wrong side of Willie.  So, we do not have enough sewer hose.  We need 60 feet.  What is wrong with that scenerio???  This is the 1st time we have been in a CG where the hook-ups are at the front of rig.  Now we are waiting to meet up with Dennis and Gail Reddig, friends from home that we play cards with once a month.  They will be in the Venice area till Thursday night when they start the drive back to PA.  We are looking forward to spending time with them.



Such a small Post Office at Pine Land



Ken and I

Nancy, Neil and I on the Fishing Pier!

Fishing Pier at Bookelia

Fun Filled Day on Pine Island

Saturday was the day to do some fun things along with some necessities!  It had rained relatively hard during some of the night on Friday, so we woke to windy conditions and wet!  I still headed to the tennis courts to meet Ed.  After some sweeping of the court, we finally got to play.  Then Jim and Steve joined us for some doubles.  Nice that the "boys" let me play with them.  Ken rode bike to St. James City while I played returning to observe the last few games we played.  Did some food prep when we got back to Willie and then headed to Matlacha for the Arts Festival.  Walked along the Main Street going in and out of the shops and galleries.  Then we had some delicious ice cream at the Happy Licks homemade ice cream shop - sooo good!

On to the grocery store and then to the fish market to get Ken some grouper to make on the grill tonight for dinner.  We were back by 3:15 to get ready for our "dinner guests".  We had to borrow some folding chairs from the clubhouse so we could all sit around our table.  (We had left our 2 folding chairs at home thinking we would not need them for this trip!  Fortunately, we were wrong!)  I provided the oven roasted potatoes, dessert, and some chili with nachos.  Betsy and Coy brought a large tossed salad and wine and Regina and Paul provided strawberries and cheese. Everyone brought their own meat for the grill.  What a wonderful evening of sharing adventures, trips, and just enjoying each others company.  This is the 1st camping trip for Paul and Regina and their excitement is contagious.  They are amazed how friendly everyone is at the campground.  We feel fortunate to have met these folks and being able to spend time with them.  We all had such a good time that we decided to meet tomorrow morning for breakfast at the Raymary Street Grille near Bokeelia at 9:15.  We still have more to talk about!!!!

Last night was the 1st cold weather we have had since leaving PA 3 weeks ago!  (Has it really been that long???)  It was soooo windy during the night and the temperature dropped to 43 degrees.  Not nearly as cold as back home, but quite a change for how it has been in Florida.  Supposed to continue being windy today, but should get close to 60.  We will see!  Had to get out the jean pants today with a warm vest.

Nancy and Neil Savage from East Petersburg PA are to arrive at the campground around noon today after leaving Venice.  We will spend time with them today and tomorrow and then we leave for Venice on Tuesday morning.  Fortunately we have a few overlapping days.  We met Nancy and Neil at the RV Dreams Rally in Hershey this past Sept., never having known them before.  We are looking forward to reconnecting.  We did have lunch with them right after the New Year to learn to know them better and to talk about possibly meeting up in Florida. 

Ken took this photo of the "local" eagle on
his way to St. James City  riding his bike!

Very end of the island at St. James City!

Love the painted electrical poles!  Done by local artists!

My 80 year old friend, Ed, playing tennis with me!
Hope I'm close to this healthy when 80!

This is the front yard of a residence in Matlacha!

One of the old fishing shacks that is now a cute
boutique in Matlacha!  Every building has wild colors!

A dock behind one of the Galleries in Matlacha!

This is the place we renewed our wedding vows
2 years ago - Lovegrove Gallery!

This is the residence of the owners of Lovegrove!
A polka dot house!

Dinner in Willie with our new camping friends -
Betsy, Regina, Paul and Coy.  We had a great
evening together!