I began the day with a good three mile walk in the campground. We are seeing lots of birds in the area; hawks, osprey, wood storks, egrets, herons, and ibises. All beautiful!
We packed our bike bags with some water and snacks and took the Levee Trail about 3.75 miles to Scout Island Park. There was a nice paved trail there.
These are Florida carpenter ants or sweet ants. They look pretty intimidating but they do not bite or sting.
We climbed the observation tower.
On our way back to the campground, Tim spotted this green iguana.
The rest of the day was spent inside. It rained all afternoon. Fortunately, there was NASCAR and football to keep us entertained and as always, a list of chores to accomplish.
On Friday, we journeyed from Ruskin to South Bay. Our route took us inland away from the storm ravaged coast and the city of Fort Myers. We thought that we were going through Arcadia, the area inland that flooded when the Peace River overflowed, but we were re-routed. We saw some vestiges of Hurricane Ian; blue roof tarps and large swaths of broken and downed trees but the area we crossed was largely unscathed. It’s amazing what a difference just a couple of miles make. As we were coming from Georgia, we saw lots of power company trucks headed north and took that as a good sign that power was being restored to those in need. We also saw tons of trucks with building supplies; roof shingles, plywood, pipes. We saw trucks carrying generators. Our thoughts go out to those who have suffered devastating loss.
We stopped in Clewiston to gather groceries and supplies. We arrived at South Bay RV Park in late afternoon. It was 89 degrees in the RV and so we ran AC for a while. We prepared a simple dinner of grilled chicken, asparagus, and raspberries. We need to get back into a healthier eating routine.
We rode our bikes out onto the levee and watched the sunset. It felt really good to be moving; cycling. There was a nice breeze in our faces as we road out and that same breeze pushed us back to the campsite just before dark. The moon was almost full and very bright.
First gator sighting.
We had such a quiet night. We had a few mosquito companions…
In the morning, we tried out the new washer with positive results.
I walked about 3 ½ miles in and around the campground.
We packed lunch and cycled 6 miles to John Stretch Park. This flock of cattle egrets flew in front of us for a couple of miles. They would light on the asphalt path and then as we approached they would take off and land further along.
While enjoying our lunch in the shade of a big live oak tree, Joel and Emily called so the we could FaceTime with June. It was such a great surprise and we were all happier for the chance to talk!
Our trip back to the campground was a little more labor intensive as we encountered a head wind. It was good hard work and we were tired after riding 12 miles. If I look a little bedraggled…I had just fought the wind!
This evening we took the Jeep to check out the nearby towns of South Bay and Belle Glade. We ended up riding through farmland; acres of of sugarcane.
We took our dinner back to John Strectch Park. There was a Latin American family having a huge party with live music just across the lake. We enjoyed listening to their celebration.
It was too cloudy to enjoy the sunset. We had also hoped to see the launch of Spaceex Falcon 9 but the clouds would have made that impossible as well.
812 August 24– October 6, 2022 Time With Family and Friends
Our time in Maryland was short but packed with lots to do. We had lots of evening meals with Kyle and Allison and an Orioles game and nice morning walks. We also helped with some mowing and garage cleaning and a dump run.
We were able to see a few friends. We enjoyed an evening with Terry Brothers. We hadn’t seen him for a long time and it was so nice to reconnect.
We had ordered a new washer for the RV. It arrived and Tim and Kyle wrestled it into place. Installing it was a bigger job than I imagined. The wood trim had to be removed and Tim had to invent a way to stabilize the stackable units.
Our last mission for the time we had at home was to find a replacement for the Jeep. The old Jeep was proving to be more and more trouble. The way we travel, we must have something dependable. On the very last day at home, we found a Rubicon that suits our needs.
We had a lovely party to celebrate Mom’s 80th birthday. We were a little early but it was nice to have everyone together.
On September 8th, we left home and headed south. We stopped in Clayton, North Carolina to see my dear school friend, Lee Anne. We had a beautiful visit.
On Friday we traveled the rest of the way to Atlanta. We were happy to be with David and his family. The first week, we spent doing errands and ordering a new bike rack, tow hitch, and door shelf for the new Jeep.
Oliver had a couple of half days and we were able to spend some time with him. We surprised him by going to the Fernbank Museum and he was so happy!
We went to a Salsa Festival in Decatur Square.
We took the boys to swimming lessons. They have made a lot of progress with their swimming skills!
On Sunday the 18th, we all went to an Atlanta Braves game. It was very hot so the boys were tired after 3 innings. Dre and I took them home and Tim and David were able to stay and watch baseball together.
Later, the kids were really excited to play real baseball in the backyard!
We went to Savannah with David and his family the following week. We had fun walking along the river, eating out, playing on playgrounds, taking the trolley, riding on the river ferry, and going to the beach on Tybee Island.
David and Dre got a date night.
We went to the Children’s Museum of Poole and the boys loved every minute!
Fun with friends.
When we got back to Atlanta, Tim and I helped to do some painting. We didn’t get very far, but there is always next time.
Austin and I made ziti together.
We left Atlanta on October 3rd. As usual, we were sad to go and the boys were sad as well. As they get older, it gets harder to leave. We just have to squeeze as many memories as we can into the time we have together.
We met my childhood friend, Joanne, in Warner Robins, Georgia on Monday evening. We had fun catching up.
Tuesday, we traveled to Yulee, Florida and we were able to spend an evening with Tim’s cousin Curtis and his wife Janice.
Wednesday, we drove to Ocala and stayed overnight at a Harvest Host site. The Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing was pretty cool. The Garlit family has carefully preserved many of Big Daddy’s race cars. There was also an entire building filled with over 90 antique cars.
One last visit with my Aunt Mary and Nabi in Sun City Center. We had a great, authentic Italian dinner at Vineyards in Apollo Beach. it was a beautiful time spent together and over much too quickly.
We are on our way now to Lake Okeechobee. Let the adventures begin!
