Merry Christmas from the Keys

We are at Marathon in the Florida Keys for a few days celebrating Christmas with Tim (Jerry's son) and his fiance, Jamie.  It was windy and cold but has improved considerably.  Yesterday we had a nice day in the sun.  I even got sunburned.  It's so great to be with Tim and Jamie.  And we are thinking of the rest of our family.  Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas.

Here's a nice green friend that we named, George, who visited while we were enjoying some ocean time.

Tim fed the feathered animals for a while.  He was very popular.

And I made Jamie a shell anklet to wear in the islands and beyond. Doesn't she look fantastic?! 

We keep hearing about the storms, snow, ice and flooding everywhere in the country.  Hope everyone stays safe.  And have many special times with friends over the Christmas holidays.

Florida and Friends

The past two weeks included stopovers with several old friends in various friendly places in Florida.  Our homes were in two Elks lodges, a beach resort and now at a casino near Miami.   Reminiscing and sharing new experiences with these folks is good for the soul.

Our spot at the Brandon Elks had full hookups at a cost of $15.00. The location is off the busy roads and  pleasant, even if there is a train that runs occasionally next to the park.  It was a nice place for Jerry to hang out while I had a girls getaway with my good friend, Karen. There aren't too many chances for the two of us to get together in our current lifestyles. So we have a lot of catching up to do when we can. Karen and I went off to the Tradewinds Resort in St. Pete Beach for a few days. And luckily, we had lots of sunshine and temps in the low 80s.  We walked the beach, relaxed in the hot tub, enjoyed a Christmas parade on the water, and reminisced a lot. Closing down Sculleys restaurant and the Hilton Christmas party will be on our list of new memories. Thanks Karen!

Then we moved about 130 miles south to the Elks lodge in North Fort Myers, where parking is available to members without charge.  We boondocked at this location with rving friends Mary and Elaine.  The surroundings are safe and quiet and there's plenty of space.  Bob and Nancy have a winter home nearby. Gathering with the four of them was a bonus for us.

We've tried to cross paths with these folks this summer without success.   It's been about two years since we shared walks, talks and more in the deserts of the southwest.  What a group!  We can always count on sharing good stories, laughs, food, drink and advice.  For instance, how about escargot stuffed mushrooms for lunch courtesy of Mary and Elaine? Or Nancy's double chocolate brownies? Or Elaine's guidance on the local thrift stores? Or Bob's assistance with our fridge?  There's never any lack of stimulating conversation and smiles while around this group.

And the other day we made a new friend who is an old friend of Mary and Elaine's ..... Alma.  Here she is with the girls.  What a fun experience talking with Alma for the evening as we had hamburgers expertly grilled by Mary.  Alma has entertaining stories of her life, growing up in London, living in Cypress as a young married, and then on each coast of the U. S., until she is now settled in Florida.  Alma's knitted creations are yet another tale that the girls have touched on at their blog in the past. (www.cannellane.blogspot.com) We all had a great evening with her.

And now we're moving further south in the state of Florida, situated at the Miccasukee Casino near Miami.  The six of us are parked in the lot, sharing meals and telling lies as we all meander our own ways in southern Florida.   It's on to the The Keys for us from here.  Good wishes to all our friends!

Life's Small Bumps

Our travels led us to Florida about six days ago -- sun and fun, right? Well, not exactly.   The last few day have included some bumps in the road.

Our location has served us well in the Escapees RV Park at Bushnell, about 50 miles north of Tampa.  No problems; the park is quiet and friendly and gives  us a chance to catch up on living requirements.  And there's the very interesting Webster Farmers Market  a few miles down the road every Monday.  We made that trip already. This may be the biggest assembly of booths, flea market, antique, general merchandise and produce, that we've every seen. But we were interested mainly in the produce - plentiful and reasonably priced. And Jerry had in mind creating one of his "stoups" or gumbos.

You can find every imaginable vegetable, some gargantuan ones, a huge assortment of peppers, etc.  It's fun to just browse the booths and talk to the vendors.  We made the rounds and found everything we needed to take home, as you can see from this photo.


But our intent for pausing here was actually to get the mounds of laundry finished and clean the layers of dirt off the Jeep and Ferd's windows. After all, we need to enjoy all of the Florida sunshine.  First, I did a few loads of laundry.  Oh #$!, right afterwards I noticed a favorite sweater and jacket had rust stains that the signs in the laundry room warn "can be an occasional problem." Continuing the bumpy episode,  the next morning I woke up with a sinus headache and runny nose and have been fighting a cold since then. 

But what's my point?  This isn't just a long list of complaints.  After all, it's just LIFE, right?  Of course.  We were lucky to be in the warm weather while many others around the country were dealing with all kinds of storms, wind, snow and ice, etc.  We were feeling somewhat blessed. Then it happened. We noticed that our refrigerator stopped cooling.  It's not a total surprise to us since it is 15 years old. What to do first?  Our fridge is larger than some rv units. Could be $2000 or $3000, or who knows, maybe more.  These RV appliances are overpriced.  And who do we trust to do the work? Of course, there's the immediate concern of all the food inside. Throw it away? 

First, don't open the doors a lot.   Long story short, we made an ice run and filled two coolers with some of the food.  Then, the next morning, we bought a dorm-type refrigerator at WalMart and put it in the bathroom for temporary cooling.  Now we are working on the rest of the options.   The Internet to the rescue once again.  We are gathering information to make the decision since this model is no longer made.   A few more phone calls and we'll know more.

This morning the problem didn't seem as serious, even though the rain poured down most of the day.  I feel as though my cold is on the downside. Besides, between the showers we ran into an rver friend traveling with a lady and her sister-in-law whose husband had died suddenly and who was now in the local hospital herself after a fall. 
I guess our latest small bumps in life are really nothing but a reminder of our good fortune.

Good Times with Good People

All the leftover turkey, mashed potatoes and pecan pie are long ago consumed. We ate too much, but the past two weeks was a great time of sharing with family and friends in the Indianapolis area.  We have to say that our people bring us joy and rejuvenation every time we gather.  But it's time to be moving along now. The temps are going down, the snow clouds are rolling in and we are heading south. As we are moving along through Nashville, Chattanooga and Atlanta today, we're thinking about some of our recent experiences.  These are a few photos that touch the surface of the good times.

We filled Tim's house to the brim on Thanksgiving with laughter, music and good food. 

Here's Tim giving good friend Bob some help cutting the scrumptious German cake he contributed to our feast.  Tim's place is our place when we're in town.  We are grateful for our accommodations and for the many memories being made.






An important ingredient in any Thanksgiving celebration,  of course,  is the kids.  And there was a fun-loving group of youngsters keeping us energized all day this year. For example, here are a couple representing the youngsters in our group.  Stella and Eland are posing gladly for the camera.  They played so hard all day and fell asleep with their toys and treats in front of the tv later in the evening.

And two more special people that always spice up our family celebrations are, grandaughter Caroline and daughter Krissy.   Two beautiful smiles! What more needs to be said?








To carry-on with the other side of the family, on Saturday we celebrated at my (Nancy's) nephew Alan's house.

It's hard to catch up on all the details of everybody's life in an afternoon. But there was enough conversation and frivolity to make a good try on that day.

We also always try to get the customary group photo when we get this many of us together. You know, the one with the kids lined up on the floor, some people hiding behind others' heads and some with their eyes shut. How difficult that is, right?  Oh Well, maybe next year my camera will work better. This time I will let my niece Nikki and her beautiful daughter, Annabelle, represent the family.



To wrap up this  two-week visit I was happy to be able to spend a little time with a couple of my aunts, Peg and Ruth. They are both expert quilters and are full of  energy for all their projects. The lunch with my sister, Marti, and our two aunts was packed with  family talk, reminiscing and getting the latest news on cousins, etc. It was so good to see them.

Then Aunt Peg surprised me with a handmade thank you for the family photo squares that I make for her to use in some of her creations. What a fabulous surprise! She made a quilt with denim squares for Jerry and I. It's just right for us to use in the rv as we watch tv or take a nap. Here's Aunt Peg and me showing off her handiwork.

Peg's latest project (And there are always new projects.) is Army quilts with matching pillows featuring her husband, my Uncle Shad, in his WWII uniform. She's making these sets for each grandson. They'll make cherished family treasures to pass down.

That's my quick synopsis of our past two weeks with family and friends, omitting the doctor visits and boring details. Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. We'd enjoy hearing your stories, too. If you'd like to send some comments, click below.