Happy Spring!

It has been awhile since I have been able to post to this blog. I left Lake San Marino on March 13th and came to Tampa where I am having some service work done on Bearfoot. It is taken longer than I had expected which is just about always the case. Luckily, Sebastian and I having been staying about 10miles away with some friends rather than staying in the coach in a service bay. What happens here at Lazy Days is when you come for service you are allowed to stay in your coach at night only. That means that you spend the days doing something else. Most people hang out in the large and comfortable service pavillion with its numerous tv's, starbucks coffee bar, wireless internet, sofas and chairs, and clean restrooms. Dogs are welcome there too. We stayed one night in the parking lot. Sebastian's feet and legs turned dark grey from walking on the dirty blacktop all the time. He was a mess and has since had a bath. He does need another haircut though. I guess I will try to find a groomer in my next stop which is St. Augustine, FL. I hope to get out of here tomorrow or at the latest on Wed. My reservations begin Wed. on the beach in St. Augustine. I will meet my friend Ralph there too. Bashey and I are getting itchy to begin rolling again. It was sad leaving Naples and my friends and family but once I was on the road, I was ready to keep going. Everything has an ending and then there are new adventures. The weather is grand here except there hasn't been rain in 6 weeks so it is very dry. The wind is blowing today which means the threat of grass fires goes way up. We have had several bad ones. Where I am staying there are wild peacocks roaming about calling that poignant cry that sounds a bit like a cat or a baby. I haven't spotted them yet but they appear to be quite near. I will post some photos as soon as I can. Right now I am sitting on a bench outside of Lazy Days where I can receive their wireless network. Have a grand spring day, a day of renewal and rebirth. If the weather is bad where you are, go out and buy some tulips or daffodils. I have always done that in the early spring. They provide much cheer.

March 8, 2006

Our bike club, The Pelican Pete Pedlars, rode out to Everglade City yesterday south of Naples in the heart of the everglades. We saw a great deal of remaining damage from the hurricanes of last season and the year before. They have been battered pretty badly there. I did learn that we only have 25% of the everglades remaining now since our government drained much of the swamp years ago before we realized the importance of this ecosystem. Then the infringment of developers has taken a great deal of the marshland. What remains is teaming with wildlife though. At least that is what we saw but I am sure that much has been lost. We had lunch next to the tiny post office at a Cuban restaurant. The grouper sandwich was the best I have ever had and was served with some Cuban coleslaw and chips. There are a couple of charming galleries that sell local indian beadwork, paintings and pottery. The wind was in our faces all the way back and made it difficult. But as I glanced in the creek that flows along the road, there were two manatees. We had taken the boat trip from the State Park out to the Gulf of Mexico. There were many Dolphins playing around the boat. A few pelicans too. We didn't see any Bald Eagles but they are seen regularly on that trip. I will post some pictures of this fragile, battered but still beautiful area. Today I begin packing things up in anticipation of leaving on Monday. I have mixed feelings - a desire to get moving, to see my family but also sad to leave this area that has been my home since Dec.

March 4, 2006

Ok! The secret is out. This is what I do while in FL. I want to share a poem I wrote about the ocean. It is, I think, what would be classified as an environmental statement actually. There has been much said lately on our local tv about the debris along the roads. It washes down into the streams that flow out to the Gulf and then the Gulf spits it back up on our beautiful beaches.

I call it Restless Ocean--

Knocking on the shore
Berms, dunes, fences, grasses
A wall built by man
to keep her visits to
a minimum.
She comes to her shore
like an unwelcome relative.
She comes to claim what is hers.
Man opens windows
to allow her to come in.
She comes, she claims
every twelve hours.
She drags it back with her
As she spits out
plastic bottles, cans - debris,
flotsam, jetsum -
Sort of - except
it doesn't come from the Ocean but from
shore; from her visits
through those open windows.
Gifts of welcome?
I think not.

Hope your weekend is safe and pleasant.

March 3, 2006

We went down to the weekly Thursday celebration on Third Street last night. On the way there, we took some shots of the sunset on the Gulf of Mexico. I want to share those with you. We ran into a rather energetic group from Lake San Marino, joined them and ended up dancing to lively trio on the street. The evening ended with ice cream cones all around at the Gourmet Scoop. I got up this morning to clean my grill. I want to begin to pack my things back in the MH and the grill was pretty nasty. There are roofers here putting a new roof on the house next door to me so it is rather loud. Enjoy these photos.

March 2, 2006 Photos

Grand kids watching a Gopher Turtle in it's nesting grounds at Bearfoot Beach preserve in Bonita Springs, FL. Treking along the trail at the Audoubon's Corkscrew Wildlife Preserve with guidebook in hand. Little Blue Heron preening in a tree.

February 28, 2006

Have I got some great photos to share with you? You bet! Plenty of activities here around Bearfoot in the last couple of weeks. My daughter and two young children arrived a week ago. We were happily crowded into this motorhome with baggage stowed up under the steering wheel, beds had to be converted to eating and sitting areas during the day and wet towels hung around until taken out side and hung over the awning supports. We really looked like gypseys. Bash loved having the kids to play with although sometimes he grew tired of it and growled. I must admit there were times when it would have been a relief to growl but we managed to have a good time. We beached it, pooled it and visited the Audoubon Nature Reserve which is 1000 acres of wildlife walkways, as well as Manatee Park in Ft. Myers. We ate lots of pizza and shared a birthday dinner with my sister at Boca de Beppos italian family restaurant. We didn't bike because it would have meant renting a bike with training wheels for my granddaughter. I developed bronchitis, yes, again, at the beginning of their visit. Now they are gone and I am finally better. I did bike 20 miles today with a minimal amount of coughing. Computer will not load photos tonight so will try tomorrow. Ciao!

February 17, 2006

Summer weather here once again. Beaching tomorrow at Lover's Cay near Ft. Myers. Fun luncheon yesterday at Sneaky Petes for the Pelican Pete Pedlars bike club. 72 people attended. I will have a photo of the group soon. My sis and bro-in-law, me and my partner went to the Bay House Restaurant the other night for early bird specials. What a lovely view they have. I have attached a picture. Also there is a picture of Sebastian and me sitting beside Bearfoot. I have a young nephew in Hartford, NY who requested a photo of Bashey and me so it was taken. Company is coming. Yippee!

Recent photos

February 15, 2006

Guess who the manatee is?????
Happy Valentine's Day, one day late. Bike yesterday in the very unusually cold temps for this part of FL in February. But by mid-day it was up in the low 60's. I received some delicious hand made chocolate and a lovely card. Bought myself some red tulips that I am enjoying right now. They are in a vase in front of one of my windows. I really like them. I have been watching the Olympic Games each night and then taping the late night show so I can watch it the next morning. What beautiful scenery! I enjoy watching all the young athletes from around the world too. Many surprises as always. The skating and skiing are my favorite events. Tomorrow our biker group is dressing in red and biking to a local restaurant for a Valentine luncheon. The spouses will be meeting us there. Last time I heard there were 72 of us. My sis and I attended a fashion show luncheon yesterday. It was a nice lunch with many other women in the park. Got us all fired up to go buy some new duds. I liked the models they used. They were all women who were built pretty much like us not skinny. I sat in the sunshine today with Ralph at a beach restaurant where we had a burger for lunch. It has been cool for so long, the warm sunshine was most welcome. Both my sis and I are preparing for children and grandchildren to visit next week. Should be fun!

Clam Pass Beach and the Eagles at the reserve

Fun at Lake San Marino and Bashey

Homosassa Springs State Park Refuge

February 8, 2006

Here I am again. I went north to Homosassa Springs FL for two days and then south to Brooksville, FL which is 40 miles north of Tampa to a Family Motor Coach Rally. The weather was superb the first two days but when we moved south, it turned very cold and windy. Then the rains came - thunder and lightning constantly for 2 days bringing a total of 7" of rain to the area. There was lots of flooding in and around Brooksville/Tampa. We were parked on a runway of the Hernando Co. Airport and felt lucky to be out of the mire although the wind was fierce. I didn't bring the proper clothing. I guess since it is FL and Feb., I thought it would be warmer but did I ever have a realty check. I put on everything I had with me and borrowed warm socks. The assoc. provided shuttle service to the vendors and entertainment but since it was a wagon pulled by a pickup truck, it was colder than walking the half mile to the big tents. One night it was raining so hard that we didn't even leave the coach. It can be claustrophobic when one is confined to a motor coach for over 24 hours. Now the rain on the roof can be very romantic and causes cuddling but when it is pounding and mixed with hail, reading is about all one can do. Watching tv is a hearing challenge - it is essential to have a good book or two. We are both avid readers so we came prepared.

Back to Homosassa Springs State park - it is a place of refuge and healing for animals of all types. We saw many manatees as well as numerous other animals, fish and birds. The flamingos are fascinating and came as a visual, colorful feast for my eyes. The bald eages were sad because they were in confinement but at least they were safe. We took numerous pictures and made a video tape. I will post a page or two of some of the photos just for fun.

Stopped in Tampa on the return trip to visit with some good friends and then back to Naples on Monday this week. Biking came early on Tues. morning. Our group is larger than ever. We now have 4 groups of 20 each. We rode almost 19 miles on monday. We stop at points of interest such as the beach, a great gourmet food store and a fast food place. It is great fun. As I looked in my rear view mirror I watched the long line of riders, all seniors, in their safety glow green shirts. I wish someone would take a video of our long line. We have a valentine ride with luncheon for non-riding partners/spouses coming up. So far almost 80 people have signed up.

We are also taking ballroom dance lessons on monday evenings. Some of the dances are theme dances to prepare us for the upcoming dances to be held here at the resort. There will be a valentine dance and a western theme dance soon along with a street dance. No moss grows on anyone around here.

I am finally beginning to organize my coach basement. There is a yard sale this weekend at each rv site and I want to take this opportunity to rid myself of some of my junk. I hope you are all enjoying a mild winter and will soon be seeing the change in light that occurs each Feb. up north. The winter will soon be over. We have actually had a cool, windy but dry winter for the most part. I finally spent a few hours sprawled on the beach the other day but that was the first time since arriving here Dec. 3rd.

Watch for the photo postings-
Blessings to all

February 8, 2006

My loyal readers, please bear with me. I have been away and since returning, have been overwhelmed with laundry, mail etc. Tonite I hope to post here and also download some GREAT
photos I took while I was traveling. More later-----

January 23, 2006

Yours truly at Cambier Park for the sunday band concert and the concert. Jazz - Great! What incredible weather we are having. Biked today for 16 miles through some of the lovliest neighborhoods I have visited. We are a growing bike club and were 50 today divided into three groups. We rode in the middle group because we like the leader and the pace is brisk but manageable. We may move back up to the fast group when my friend is better conditioned. We stopped at Calistoga's today for some great coffee and pastries. It is rather like Panera Bread for those of you who are familiar with that sort of coffee/bread shop. My sister and I went to Bonita for haircuts today. When I got home, the sunset was beautiful so I grabbed the camera and Bashey to head for the Lake here for a super shot. Well, we got there just as the color disappeared so will try again. Sunsets here are time for celebration and people all around the area go to the Gulf to watch the sun set. Happens every single day without fail. (the celebration is what I mean). Some bring a drink and toast the setting sun while others just stand in awe. Reminds me of being in the Carribean Islands where we always celebrated the sunset sometime more enthusiastically than others. We always watched for the green flash but few ever see it. I saw it twice but I also had drank a few rum punches.

Bashey and his little minnie poodle cousin, Rose are going to Doggie Beach near Lover's Key this week then we will bathe them after. Here are some photos for your enjoyment --

January 20, 2006

I got up this morning while it was still 48 degrees outside to ride with the bike group. See the photo - Rode with the speedy group and we rode into the wind which was strong and gusty in our faces. The first five miles were difficult, then we turned towards the west, went to the beach before turning around for the return trip. The trip back home was very difficult since we again rode the "tour de wind". In any event, we did 17 miles - tough though. The slower group only went 11 miles and hung out at the Burger King for a long while. By the time we were half way through our ride, the temps had risen to mid-70's. Overall, it was a pleasant trip - just had to push the limits a bit.

I bought a lovely bunch of tulips at the market the other day. They are purple and just add so much to Bearfoot's ambiance. I have a need for fresh flowers around me no matter where I am.
Tomorrow night, my friend and I have been invited to some biker friends house for dinner then off to a concert by the Marlin Brothers. There are some great groups performing at the Philharmonic but we haven't been yet. The choices of entertainment here in the area are vast and varied. Time and boundless energy is all that is required - of course, money too for many of the performances.

I am headed for my nest early tonight. Until another day -

January 17, 2006

I cannot believe the date. What has happened to January? Time is blowing by me like the strong winds that have been blowing around here of late. I had my botoxin injections today for my BEB (Benign Essentiall Blepharospasm). My VA doc has a colleague here in Naples but the guy couldn't see me until the end of Jan. according to this front guards (receptionist) and since I couldn't get a message through to him that I had a connection, I was given the name of another doc nearby. I like this doctor and hope that the places he put the botox was the best for my type of spasm since I have had some drastic effects from misplaced shots before. I won't know for about 5 days or so. I don't have anywhere to drive to for awhile so if my body reacts in a negative manner, I will have time to heal before time to drive again. It has been difficult to use my eyes for the last 3 weeks so it was time.

My sis and her hubby arrived here the other day. It is very nice having them parked next to Bearfoot instead of some of the others that have gone in and out of here in the last two months. I am biking as much as possible given the wind. Taking ballroom dancing lessons here in the park on monday nights. Finding that very tough since I am not necessarily cooridinated. It is wonderful to see friends from last winter back again. I miss my family and hope some of them will be coming to visit sometime this winter or in the spring. Bashey and I are very comfortable in our new Bearfoot coach. We have a seal on the refrigerator that is leaking so it keeps frosting up and needs to be defrosted often. That and a dead fan motor in the bathroom seem to be the only things needing repair. I have to take it back up to Tampa to get it fixed in March. Hope to be headed slowly back north by then.

I will post some more photos as soon as I download them on the computer. I also have a large file of slides taken of all my paintings that are in storage in VA. I plan to have them put on a cd and will download those too so I can display them on my other blog site. I just finished a watercolour of an eagle in flight for my grandson in Albany but not sure it is complete yet.

Gotta run feed the white beast - (can't blame him since he only eats once a day)

Blessings and fair weather,

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-

Photos of the beach

Since I wasn't able to post the promised pics,here they are in a separate post: I expect you all know you can enlarge these pics by double-clicking on the photo.

January 2, 2006

Two Grandma's on Christmas.
It always seems strange to write the new year and it takes a few days to get used to writing it. '05 has been a year of change creating - happiness and fulfillment for some and pain and sadness for others. Many have been lost but on the other hand, people have learned to open their hearts to those less fortunate. We remain a country divided with so many of our young people in foreign nations for a cause that many are not certain of. We will remember this year past and the one before it through the maimed and disfigured young people who have returned to rehab and to try to find a life for themselves after war. I studied geology in college where I learned that major changes and events in the history of the Earth are recorded visually in the geology of the rocks and trees. It seems that our events will be forever recorded visually in the loss of limbs and emotional scars that will identify the year's events.

At the end of the year, I like to review my life month by month. I am always amazed by how much living there was in that 365 day period. I visited St. John's church on sunday and the priest suggested that this was our chance to start anew, to live each day as a new day with a clean slate so to speak. He said we had 365 chances to start over with right living. I associate that with being baptized, to be washed clean, to be reborn. I decided to keep a daily journal of the good things I was able to do for someone each day. If I only manage to do one good deed a day that still gives me 365 chances. Just a kind word or deed, a phone call, a note or email, even a smile makes a tremendous difference. As I bike around Naples and Bonita Beach, I speak to everyone I meet. Most look up and smile or return my greeting. A few ignore me. But I like to think that maybe a cheerful greeting and a smile from a stranger on a bike may make a difference.

On my ride today, I took some photos of the river near Bonita Beach on the Gulf. I often see Osprey in that spot. There is a preserve nearby called Bearfoot Beach. There were lots of people out riding bikes, jogging or walking today. The beaches were very busy since it was still a holiday. I stopped to buy a bottle of water from a vendor on the beach. The parking lot was full and I think probably that was the case all up and down the beaches in the Naples/Ft. Myers area. The way to go is by bike since there isn't a fee or a parking problem. I have tried to ride everyday this week since the weather has been perfect. It is like homecoming around here as all the folks we met last year are rolling in.

Happy Day two!