January 11, 2006

Hi Everyone! Sorry I have been out of touch for a bit. Tried to reveiw why I hadn't written and can't really come up with anything except that I am busy. There is always plenty to do around a motorcoach. Then you add a pet, laundry, keeping body fit and friends - suddenly you are as busy as the rest of the world seems to be with little time to write or muse. The weather doesn't need mentioning since it is nearly always perfect this time of year. That is pretty much a given. I have been biking quite a bit since I reintroduced my friend to the sport. He needed to be brought back to an endurance level where he could bike for 15 miles or so on a given day. We did join the club yesterday. Biked with a large group of 20 yesterday. There was another faster group of about 15 or so. The Pelican Pete Pedlars bike club swells to an enormous pod at this time of year. We will be appox. 70 within a couple of weeks. We just ordered t-shirts and license plates that will show our first names. Yesterday we had our first organizational meeting of this year and planned some group rides and other activities. This weekend there is a bike-a-thon in Cape Coral and several members are participating. The mileage is a choice of 25, 62 or 100. Our members that are attending are going for the 62 miles. I don't think I am ready for that yet. Tuesday we biked to Bearfoot Beach in Bonita Springs on the road to Ft. Myers. Bearfoot Beach is an island preserve. It is where I took the photos of the Osprey. It is home to tortoise, the Osprey and many other species. The rangers there offer free canoe trips on the estuarys as well as nature walks and night canoe trips to catch the nocturnal critters. We plan to join at least one of these offerings. My friend, Ralph, returned from the north with a cold which took me 3 days to catch. So we have been nursing our respective congestion. Seems to bother more at night than during the day. My sis and bro-in-law are due in here on the 14th. They are on their way as I write. I am eager to have them parked next door. Photo is of Ralph and I yesterday at Bearfoot Beach. Later-