February 13 at Harbor Lakes

Sunny Florida!!
So this is what it's all about! We had breakfast then off to Walmart to do our weekly grocery shopping. This is a small departure from our Friday night date doing our Meijering, but not too different.

Back at camp we met up with Bob and Donna and went to Bob's Friend Mike's house to pick some grapefruit and Star Fruit. Mike has some fruit trees in his yard and gets quite a crop of white, pink and red grapefruit, starfruit, mangoes, and papaya. Bob showed us around the area and then it was back to camp and into the pool.

Later Nancy cooked a spaghetti dinner and we had another fine meal at the Bob and Donna campsite. We are having a wonderful trip thus far and hope things stay as good as they have been. We really miss seeing everyone back home but this has been such a wonderful getaway that we can only hope that everyone will someday have a chance to experience being able to do what they want and enjoy life as we have been doing these past few weeks. We wish you were all here with us.

Tomorrow we will be breaking camp again and moving further south to the Naples area.

Please send us some pictures in an e-mail so that we can see what YOU have been up to and get look at the grandkids.

Here we are picking our fruit for the week. We went home with a bagful of stuff!

These are woodstorks. They wander around the campground looking for handouts. Zoom in on these creatures and you'll see that they have a face that only a mother could love.

Bob went fishing with a neighbor and caught this blowfish. They puff up when threatened and have a very sharp bite.

Here we are enjoying a spaghetti dinner at Bob and Donna's motorhome. This is our last supper together since we will be moving south in the morning. We had a great visit with them.

Love to all...

Port Charlotte, Florida, February 12

We made it into Port Charlotte today, staying for two nights with Uncle Bob and Aunt Donna at Harbor Lakes RV Resort. This is a beautiful private resort campground with some really nice amenities. They have a heated pool and spa, clubhouse, billiard room, laundry facilities, tennis court, exercise room, and shuffleboard. We lounged around the pool and the hot tub this afternoon and even though it was on the cool side the sun was fabulous! Apparently Bob and Donna really know how to rough it. We were treated to a wonderful prime rib dinner with baked potatoes and salad at their camp!! Thank you for the great meal.
 It is supposed to be sunny for the next week and warmer each day. We are looking forward to some quality R&R.

Here we are tucked in between a large fifth wheel and what they call a "Park Model" residence which is more of a year round permanent modular home.

Bob and Donna's Land Yacht. They are staying here for three months and make themselves comfortable

The wide streets allow you to back a camper in with ease. Walking here we see that 8 of 10 license plates are from Quebec!

Checking out the pool and hot tub. It wasn't long before we suited up and were in!

Walking home after dark.

A cool February 11 in Florida

We woke up to a cool and cloudy day again! What happened to sunny skies and 80 degrees in sunny Florida? Oh, well, we made the most of it as best we could.

We did some hiking along the river trail this morning and were on the lookout for feral pigs!!! But alas these are elusive creatures and we saw none.We bought tickets for the "Mayakka Maiden" super duper air boat and went for a tour on the lake after lunch. The guide told us about the birds we were seeing and about the pigs and alligators. They have a trapper that is on contract with the park to trap and remove feral hogs and the guide said that 1700 were caught this year. He said there are an estimated 2000 still roaming the park. The trapper is not paid but is allowed to sell the meat and keep his proceeds.

We were told that there are an estimated 600 alligators in the lake and that they live for thirty to thirty five years. Since it was overcast and windy we had a hard time finding any today. We did see a couple back at the weir where we took pictures on Wednesday.

Tomorrow we will be breaking camp and moving further south to the Port Charlotte area. The forecasts are for more sunshine and warmer temperatures. Here are the days pictures:

Hiking the river trail looking for critters

We found this wasp nest hiding in the Spanish moss. I remembered the one we got for Ben!

Florida acorns. They should call these beer nuts (Black and Tans)

We also found these magic mushrooms. Nancy couldn't get over the pink color.

Here's the Mayakka Maiden air boat. Powered by a 1975 Cadillac Eldorado engine.

Nancy was on alligator patrol.

Watching the shoreline for gators. We only saw one that was tucked against the bank.

The "snake bird" or Anhinga, it swims with only its head and long neck above the water

This is what the snake bird looks for as it swims. It catches fish then maneuvers them so it can swallow them whole!

The Great Blue Heron

I don't know what this one was? Anyone?

This is the air boat I want to ride next time!

Till next time.....



Thursday, Feb 10

Another day at the park! Today was a rainy off and on day. Not too cool, but definitely jeans weather.

We were in touch with our builder and home designer this morning while on our bike ride in the backcountry. Oh, the marvels of modern technology. We have been working with them on an ongoing basis whenever a question or new development arises. We also took a ride into town after lunch and drove around by Turtle Beach. This is the southern end of Siesta Key and has a lot of residential homes and resorts at the end of the Island.

I don't have a lot today as we vegged a lot, and the pictures are few since the battery in the camera died at Turtle Beach!

Enjoy!

Here I am at the office. Actuall on my bike taking a call from our home designer on the Florida prarie.

This is the lagoon on the inland side of Turtle Beach. The picture was taken from a boat launch and the lagoon connects tot he gulf.

I didn't know that pelicans roosted in trees, but here's proof.

February 9th at Mayakka

Another beautiful sunny day although a cold start with a morning temperature around 40.

We rode bikes in the morning to the north end of the park. On the way we stopped at the birdwalk. This is a boardwalk that goes out over a wetland and overlooks Lake Myakka. There were a half dozen people out here with cameras and binoculars watching the various species of birds that were visible. There was a ranger that was an expert ornithologist and he was pointing out the different birds as they flew by. He told us that they had seen a bald eagle earlier and showed us an osprey that was flying across the lake. He said they saw several feral pigs on the opposite shore in the morning. There were thousands of tree swallows perched in the grass along shore and flying over the water. As we stood there he spotted a merlin which is supposed to be very rare in this area. Then we heard before we saw a huge bird off in the distance and I happily volunteered "whirly bird" as the species!

We rode on to the end of the park road and talked to an elderly woman at the park gate. She was a volunteer for the park and was watching this entrance. She told us that she was from upstate New York and that she and her husband had been volunteering at this park for the past twenty six years, ever since they retired. She was able to tell us a lot about the volunteer program and all the benefits they got from participating Next we took a bike path that went several miles into the outback and eventually led back to the campground. This was an old two track and we didn't see any other people out here. Along the way there was a ditch with a couple of six foot alligators lurking on the bank.

After lunch we drove into town and went to Siesta Beach on Siesta Key. This was a great resort area with a huge public beach. The sand was pure white and as fine as the silica sand you see in an hourglass. The beach was at least two hundred yards wide and went on for a couple of miles. We spent a couple hours in the sun and watched the waves and the people having a good time.

After dinner when it was dark we ended the day by by driving back down to the birdwatch where the park put on a skywatching program that told of the stars and constellations. We were surprised to see that the lady from the North entrance that we met that morning was conducting the program.

The birdwalk at Myakka Lake

If you zoom in on this picture you'll see hundreds of tree swallows perched in the grass near shore and in the air.

The two track we rode for several miles into the outback.

We saw two of these "six footers" in a ditch along the bike trail

Siesta Beach on Siesta Key near Sarasota

The lifeguard shacks were different colors so you could find your way back to your spot!

Beach critical information on one of the lifeguard shacks

Mytakka State Park Day Two, Feb 8

Happy Birthday Tom, We wish you much peace and happiness as you move forward in your life!!

We had a beautiful sunny day today, but way on the cool side. We rode bikes to the vistor center this morning and learned a lot about the park. This is one of the oldest parks in Florida. A lot of the development here was done by the Civilian Conservation Corp, the same group that developed a lot of the state parks in Michigan. There are many miles of hiking and biking trails, two campgrounds, and about five rental cabins tucked away in the woods. From there we rode to the "Canopy Walk" which is an elevated bridge that spans eighty five feet through the tree tops.At the end of the walkway is a tower that is 75 feet high and offers views in all directions above the trees. This canopy walk is used to study the health of the forest and is one of only a few in the world.

After lunch we took a walk by the river and saw some HUGE alligators. After talking to a ranger earlier in the day I was hoping to see one since the ranger told us that they come out in the afternoons to sun themselves.  I was really amazed at the size of these beasts as they were six to nine feet long and quite big around.

At the end of the day the campground hosts sponsored a community campfire and we went over and talked with quite a few fellow campers to hear where they were from and listen to their experiences from their travels. A lot of laughs were shared by all and we had a great time. Nice to socialize with others and listen to their stories.

Enjoy the pictures as you sing happy birthday to Thomas....

Nancy on the nature trail

It's a jungle out there!

This is the canopy walk. A bridge suspended in the treetops, built by students from Peru

Life in the treetops

A view from the tower down to the canopy walk in the trees. (Click on the picture to enlarge it)

A view from the tower, 75 feet in the air.

Some more canopy information

Click on these pictures to zoom in on the alligators. Those are turkey vultures behind the gators. Look closely and you will see a fourth one in the water.

Here is another of the big boys. Anyone want to wrestle?

Good night and God Bless!

February 7 near Siesta Key Florida

We moved south today down I-75 to the Sarasota area. We are camping at Myakka River State Park. This is a neat area about 10 miles inland from Siesta Key.
Last night we had rain all night at Leesburg, but this morning just overcast and about 60 degrees. As we drove south the temperature eventually made it up to 78 degrees. Late in the afternoon it did cloud up and we got rain for about a half hour. We are hoping to get better weather tomorrow so we can explore this area.
We tried for a campsite at the county park right on Siesta Key but it was already full. It looks like a lot of public beaches on the Gulf there and a nice resort area. The park has two small campgrounds and 58 square miles of natural area. There is a camp store and canoe and kayak rentals on the Myakka River. Also a river tour on a huge air boat. We will take a boat tour on the river when the weather gets better.

Here are some pictures of the area:

Myakka Outpost has a gift shop, food and canoe and kayak rentals. This is the boat basin that comes in off of Myakka Lake

The Outpost store

River tours on this Air boat are $12 per person for a one and a half hour tour

Did I mention the alligators?

Happy campers with Lake Myakka in the background

These turkey vultures were swarming in ahead of the storm front

The Perzanowski camp at Myakka River State Park campground

Until next time...Love to all