Twelve Days of Christmas

Monday the 21st to Thursday the 24th

Ahhhhh, tis the season to be jolly! Reporting for the next ten days or so will be pretty spotty as Tina and I prepare for the holidays.

Cool mornings are with us for a while, 40's and 50's with afternoon temps in the mid to upper 70's. Just right for our early morning bike rides. Tina is improving even though she can't see it yet. She is less winded and is able to maintain a good pace for longer periods of time.

Cleaning, shopping, riding, relaxing, a little pool time, some billiards, reading and TV set the day to day pace. Cards and a few gifts have come in to sit beneath our Santa. Our greetings via email and Christmas cards are sent.

The day before Christmas Tina flew home to surprise her family. Our oldest daughter Lori picked her up at the airport around 11:30 PM then dropped her off at our youngest daughter Marni's house, getting everybody up for a joyous surprise!!

No photos today.

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas!!

It's very quiet here at Rock Creek. The kids got up at 6:30 AM thinking they heard sleigh bells overhead. After a quick turn about the park for their morning constitutional we went back to the coach for breakfast. Surprise!! Santa had left two new squeeky toys for them!! They were in heaven, squeeking away and getting belly rubs from Dad.

Opening my presents, I received two new pair of shorts and two matching dress Hawaiian shirts, a book of "Tube Sock Tips for RV'rs" and a safety light for my bicycle. Later in the day I went to the club house for Christmas dinner along with about 100 other neighbors. What a spread. Fortunately I could leave before being rolled out using the dogs as an excuse. As it was I ate too much, but then so did most everybody else, heheheh!

The kids and I spent a quiet evening watching a little TV and reading.

To see all our photos click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Saturday the 26th

I went out for an early morning bike ride to give myself a cardio workout. Following our regular route I was back at the coach within 35 minutes, averaging about 15 mph including stop lights so I figure I was cruising about 20 mph most of the time.

Later that afternoon, I shot a little pool, fixed dinner, played with the kids and went to bed early.

No photos today.

Sunday the 27th

Took it a little easier this morning, otherwise it was pretty much the same ride as yesterday. After finishing repairing the bathroom skylight and the top to Tina's jewelry box, the kids and I went downtown Naples and spent a couple of hours at the 5th Avenue Street Fair. What a collection of art!! Lot's of people, lots of food, the fair stretched all along 5th Avenue from 8th St to 2nd St. The kids were good and got lots of attention as we wandered here and there looking at all the creativity.

Later in the day Fernando and I shot a little pool, then we called it a day.

No photos today.

Rain, Shine and Swamps

Friday the 18th

It started raining during the night. It was expected. Just not the volume. By the time we got up around 7:15 AM, the creek behind us was rising... fast. After putting on a rain coat I took the kids out for their morning walk. It was pretty quick, I was wet through by the time we got back. After drying them off I stepped back outside and notice we had forgotten to bring the big awning back in and there was probably thirty gallons of water in it. We had all our Christmas lights strung and lit.

Standing on the ladder I slowly got all the lights unstrung then grabbing a broom and pushing it up against the awning from underneath, I managed to spill most of the water out. With Tina at the switch inside the coach we tried to bring it in (electric in and out awning). No luck. We tried several times before I realized that the big roller was bent in a big curve from being weighed down with all that water. So I got the ladder and by using my hands to help roll the roller tube we managed to bring the awning in.

Coming in after being out in the downpour, I stripped and put my swim suit on. While I was changing Tina told me we had a leak in the shower. Sure enough, water was seeping out around the skylight over the shower. So I grabbed a screwdriver and took the inner dome off. I knew we had a serious problem when several of the screws came out looking like beavers had gnawed the threads off the middle of the screws and they were all wet and rusted. Sure enough, the outer skylight was leaking and water was soaking into the backing for the vinyl headliner. The backing is a 3/8's inch foam and it was soaked.

I spent the next hour squeegeeing the water out from behind the headliner. Fortunately, the rain began to taper off and had stopped by the time I got the majority of the water out. After toweling off and cleaning up the shower I called Tom's Mobile RV Service. By now its nearly lunch time so I fixed a sandwich, had a pop and a yogurt and settled down to wait. They were able to come out within a couple of hours and after looking at the situation agreed to come back the following Tuesday to repair the problem and seal the rest of the roof. Wheeeeewwww!!

With everything under control, my neighbor Fernando and I went to the Sharks Den for a couple of hours. When I got home Tina had pot of black bean chili ready. With a dollop of sour cream it was delicious. We watched a movie after dinner and called it quits around 10:30 after a very long day.

No photos today.


Saturday the 19th

Its cooling off and drying out. The cold front moving in from the north is pushing a lot of wind. Enough to make going for our morning bike ride a real hassle. The creek finally quit rising about three inches below the top of the bank. So we decided to take it easy this morning and do a bike ride later in the afternoon.

Eventually the temperature made it into the sixties so we had lunch and saddled up to ride into town. After getting over to US 41 we took a right on 10th St to stop at the old "Train Depot" where Santa was giving rides to kids on an old 1/20th scale train that made a circuit of the depot building and parking lot. Inside, the model railroad club had set up a huge model train display where half a dozen trains wound their way through mountains and towns. The display was at least twelve feet wide and thirty feet long. It took two operators to keep everything running smoothly.

There were platforms all around the display so kids could get close to the trains. Buttons were placed all around the edges that the kids could push that would light up different buildings, activate a ferris wheel, load and unload logs and barrels, etc. It was really neat!! The last time I saw this big a working display was fifty years ago at the Lionel Train Store on Hwy 99 in Des Moines, WA.

Leaving the train Depot we rode through town over to Gulf Shore Blvd and then south for three miles through Port Royal to the mouth of the Cocohatchee River. Turning around we wound our way through Port Royal looking at all the beautiful mansions and estates. Returning to 2nd St we rode north back to town and over to the "Boardwalk" Shops for an ice cream. Finishing our afternoon treat, we rode home. Since we probably did about 12 miles total, that our exercise for the day.

It only got up to 66 degrees oday so we closed the door to the coach and spent the rest of the day relaxing.

No photos today.


Sunday the 20th

Since it's Sunday, Tina fixed Bacon and Eggs with Toast and Jam. After breakfast we watched our regular Sunday morning TV program while we waited for the temperature to get up into the sixties. Around 11:00 AM we decided to drive to the "Fakahatchee Strand Preserve" down by Everglades City. Since it was cool we took the kids with us hoping to give them some exercise.

It was about thirty miles to the entrance to Fakahatchee Preserve State Park. The Fakahatchee Strand is a forested swamp about 20 miles long and five miles wide where the underlying limestone has dissolved to form a shallow, seasonally-flooded depression with a canopy characterized by bald cypress, red maple and royal palm trees. Within Fakahatchee Strand, deeper channels called sloughs provide a protective environment for tropical plants that cannot survive South Florida’s extreme temperatures.

Water flowing through layers of organic soils allow smaller trees to form a rain forest-like mid canopy,with lots of bromeliads and orchids. The southern portion of the Preserve is composed of salt marshes and mangroves which border Fakahatchee Bay. During the rainy season, fresh water flows southward into the Gulf of Mexico, gradually mixing with the salt water of the Ten Thousand Islands, creating conditions for a highly productive estuarine ecosystem.

The park’s wildlife is as diverse as its flora. Imperiled species such as the American crocodile and the West Indian manatee dwell in the mangrove lined waterways to the south, while wood storks, bald eagles, Florida black bears, Everglades mink and Florida panthers make their home elsewhere in the park. While there we planned on doing a short drive in the park called "Janes Scenic Drive", an 11 mile ride through the Fakahatchee.

After turning off County Road 29 we passed through the small community of Copeland. As the paved road turned north we passed the forestry tower at the Preserve Administrative Office. As we drove off the pavement the road ahead was unpaved - a combination of shell and crushed rock . With Tina at the wheel we slowly made our way forward asking ourselves if we really wanted to do this. Since there wasn't anyone around to ask, nor any signs about what lay ahead, we decided to push on with our morning adventure.

The sun quickly burned off the morning cloud cover. After driving for a few miles on rough washboard, the road smoothed out as we left an open wetland prairie, heading to the forest. Here the road is a dirt path, barely allowing two cars to pass with trees on either side and a small drainage canal running along the roadside. We stopped several times to see what was stirring in the roadside ponds and to enjoy the quiet and peacefulness. At the end of the road is a slow moving canal with numerous wading birds out for lunch.

We turned around to retrace our course, we stopped at a small man made lake, the result of quarrying. As we parked by the pond, there was a large flock of vultures in the trees and on the ground, it looked like there were over 80 birds in a half acre. We continued through Copeland and back to CR 29. Heading south we crossed US 41 and drove to Everglades City for lunch. A small town on the gulf coast, Everglades City is a tourist town economically dependant on nature tourism, sportfishing, and commercial crabbing. It is also the gateway to the 10,000 Islands, a paddlers paradise.

We ate lunch in a restaurant dedicated to old cars and petroleum memorabilia. Sitting next to a 1902 Oldsmobile we had hamburgers and fries, not bad. It was pretty quiet in town, our waitress said it doesn't really get busy until after Christmas. We decided not to go to the Everglades Museum and to drive to the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk up on US 41.

We parked and put the leashes on the kids. After reading the introductory material we learned that the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk was taking us into the wetlands of Fakahatchee. The swamps recharge the underground water supply in the porous limestone while helping to moderate the climate and maintain moisture to guard against wildfires. The Fakahatchee Strand is a major drainage slough of the Big Cypress Swamp and a part of the greater Everglades ecosystem. Water drains through the swamps of the strand, to the mangroves of the 10,000 islands and the Gulf of Mexico.

Walking along the boardwalk, we crossed into the central slough, the deepest part of the Fakahatchee Strand. The dominant trees are bald cypress, native royal palm trees, sable palms, pop ash and pond apple, a tree of East Indian origin. Pop ash and pond apple are small trees with multiple trunks and rough bark that support the growth of epiphytic orchids, ferns and bromeliads. Reaching the end of the we found a beautiful pond, a good example of an alligator hole. A water sanctuary for many types of animals, especially during dry periods. There was at least one young alligator basking in the sun along with several wading birds.

Walking back we saw a huge eagles nest where a couple of young birds were being watched over by one of their parents while the other was away foraging. Bald eagles mate for life and always return to the same nest. Over the years, as nests are repaired and continually built upon they can reach depths of twenty feet and eight feet across. This one had been continuously occupied since 1991 and looked to be about six feet across.

Returning to the car we headed home only to pass a flock of Wood Storks along the road in an area still wet from the recent rains. They appeared to be searching out small critters for lunch. Mixed in with them were several small Black Ibis, Snowy Egrets and a couple of Cattle Egrets. After stopping for photos we returned home where I grabbed my cue and headed over to the Sharks Den for a two hour session with Fernando.

After dinner Tina and I pretty much settled in for the evening.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Wednesday the 16th

Wednesday the 16th

Another beautiful day. Up at 7:15 AM, the “Punky” alarm being turned off due to a late night walk, the kids and I went through our usual routine. Turn on the lights in the kitchen, start the coffee, wash, pills, dress, go for our morning walk, return for the kids breakfast, pour my coffee, fix a bowl of cereal, turn on the tube and plop down on the couch to eat. Eventually Tina got up and did her morning routine, of course it’s not as complex as mine, heheheh.

By 9:00 AM we’re ready to go for our bike ride so off we went. Today we made the loop in a little over fifty minutes but Tina thought we may have had some faster lights. Since we ride at an average speed of twelve mph, it’s hard to judge whether we rode faster or got some breaks with the lights. Once our time starts getting below fifty minutes though, I think Tina will be pleased to see that she is improving. Maybe by next Monday. We’ll see…..

After spending time organizing our photos and updating the blog, Tina went to get her hair done while I lazed about, reading, walking the dogs and getting Tina’s cyclecomp mounted on her bike. After dinner we went down to the club house and played Eucher for a couple of hours then called it a night.


Thursday the 17th

Well! Something must be wrong… I woke up on my own at 7:30 AM with Punky still snoozing away. She must have had a rough night, heh, heh! In fact, after getting up and getting ready to go out for a walk I had to go back in the bedroom and pick her up off the bed. Well!! After attaching leashes and going outside, it was apparent that nothing serious was wrong, she promptly led the way down the street and across to the big field next to the airport. That was more like it.

After we got back and everybody had breakfast, Tina and I hopped on the bikes and started our morning ride. While on the bike path in Sugden Park, we saw a bald eagle with a fish in his talons gliding over the lake towards a big pine tree. Riding a little further, Tina discovered him perched on a limb about thirty feet up and less than fifty feet away from us. Must have been his breakfast perch. The fish looked about two feet long and probably weighed close to three pounds.

Anyway, there he sat looking around at us, then losing interest in the watchers he tucked into his morning meal. We watched him eat for a few minutes then continued our ride completing our route in about 55 minutes. This is the same time as yesterday (adjusted for our eagle viewing stop) but Tina actually rode with less effort, so we were pleased.

After we got cleaned up I went down to the pool for a swim and to read in the sun for an hour. Once I got back to the coach we put together our shopping list and went to lunch at “Alice Sweetwater Shrimp and Oysters”. The place was packed, usually a good sign. Turns out the food was good but not spectacular. After lunch we went to Publix and bought a few groceries then returned home.

Later in the afternoon we took the kids for a long walk and spent some time visiting with some of our neighbors. By 4:30 PM we were all done with our outside activities. Fortunately. Fifteen minutes later the thunder, lightning and rain moved in and started to come down in buckets. So we were serenaded with big BOOMS and flashes of LIGHTNING while we ate dinner.

After dinner we watched a little TV, played some cribbage (Tina won as usual, heheheh) and relaxed to the sound of rain on the roof.

No photos today.

Bike Rides and a Visit to Naples Zoo

Sunday the 13th

Yesterday being the Christmas party, we took the today off to relax, spending some time at the pool, reading in the shade of the awning and just hanging about. Later in the afternoon, Fernando and I went over to the Sharks Den and shot pool for a couple of hours. We are fairly evenly matched but I managed to take the final race to five, shooting much better than last week.


Monday the 14th

The sun was out and it promised to be another nice day. Tina went to her exercise class while I stayed home and got our bikes ready for a ride. We decided to set up a loop ride that we could go on every morning after breakfast. With a fixed length of about eight miles we could time ourselves and see how much improvement we could achieve.

I had mapped out a ride that took us east through residential areas, then south to Davis Ave, across Davis to follow Lakewood Dr to US 41, across US 41 and into Sugden Park where we circle Avalon Lake on a very nice bicycle/jogging trail back to the park entrance. From the park we ride south on Avalon, then turn west on Thomasson Rd to Bayshore Ave. Following Bayshore north to US 41, we cross US 41 onto Shadow Lawn Dr which takes us back to Davis. Crossing Davis to Estey Ave, we turn east to Airport-Pulling Ave then head north to North Rd and return to Rock Creek RV Resort. The entire route is about eight miles.

We made the ride in a little over an hour, only getting lost for a quarter mile before finding out where we were and retracing to get back on route. Since we took a little over an hour, we figured we’d use tomorrows time as our baseline.

After we got back and cooled off, Tina did a little grocery shopping while I went down to the pool with my book. The rest of the afternoon we planned whaat we wanted to do this week, then relaxed until dinner. After dinner, I picked up Fernando and we went to the Sharks Den for the Eight-Ball Tournament.

There were eight players and after the draw I faced Marce, a young lady just learning the game. Winning that match, I faced Fernando. He won the first game, then I took the next two. My next match was against Nate, Marce’s boyfriend and a really good player. He took the first game, then using all my guile and several safeties, I took the next two games to take the match and move into the catbird seat on the winners side. Eventually Nate worked through the losers bracket and faced me for the final needing to beat me two sets to win. It turned out to be a replay of our first match with him winning the first game and me winning the next two with good safety play, winning the tournament and $50. Yipppeeee!!



Tuesday the 15th

This morning there was a pretty good fog settled in. We fed the kids, had our breakfast and saddled up for our morning ride. Fifty-five minutes today. After we got home and cleaned up we took the kids for a long walk then went over to the Naples Zoo (http://www.caribbeangardens.com/).

The Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens, formerly known as “Jungle Larry's” was named after founder Lawrence Tetzlaff and his wife, who was known as "Safari Jane". The zoo was built in 1969 on a botanical garden site, which was planted in 1919. By 1925, the historic garden contained more than 3,000 species of tropical plants and over the years, the plants and trees have matured to the lush habitats where many exotic animals reside. A natural pathway winds around the 52-acre area, with about a mile of trails. Enormous fig trees provide a sprawling green canopy over the paths, providing shade and enhancing the feeling of being in another country.

The variety of wildlife living in this botanical oasis is remarkable, and includes African lions, kangaroos, zebras, exotic cats, spotted Hyenas, leopards several species of monkey , golden and ring tailed Lemurs and American alligators. Many of the animals are endangered, such as the African wild dogs (only seen in 2 percent of American zoos), rare Indochinese tigers (less than 50 in the U.S.) and Florida panthers.

We arrived just in time for the first show, “Planet Predator” hosted by one of the zoo keepers. We were seated in a large covered amphitheater where assistant keepers brought out several animals starting with a Harris Falcon. This was followed by a Two Stripe Skunk, a small Kinkajou, an Emperor Scorpion, a Two Toed Sloth, a large monitor lizard and a dog that had been rescued and spent the first three years of his life growing up with one of the tiger cubs.

After that we walked over to Cactus Hill to watch the Alligator feeding in Alligator Bay. There are about a half dozen large, I mean really large, alligators in the lake and they are all moving toward a beach just across from where we are standing. There are three zoo keepers doing the feeding. The lead keeper has a microphone and gives an explanation of their activities as they entice the alligators out of the water and onto the beach with turkey drumsticks. Pretty cool.

After that we walk over to the boat dock where we board a cruise boat for a tour of Lake Victoria and the monkey islands. There are spider monkeys, lemurs and several lesser species along with a large monitor lizard basking in the sun on one of the smaller islands. After the cruise we continued on our walk to the Zebra enclosure where there were several Impalas and a couple of large Kudu Antelope. From there we walked over to the wildlife habitats.

As it was probably about 83 degrees out by now, most of the animals were sleeping or resting. The porcupine was nestled in his drain pipe while the leopard was snoozing on the porch of his home. The lion, a majestic male with a full main was seated atop his rock plateau while the hyenas were relaxing in the shade. A couple of Panthers (Florida Cougars) were laying down as were the kangaroos, black bear and Fosa (think Madagascar “Foosa”).

By now it was about 1:00 PM and lunch time so we decided to have a late lunch after a stop at the bike shop for a pair of riding shorts and cyclecomp for Tina. Leaving the bike shop we headed to downtown Naples to check out “Trixies Torpedo Sandwiches”, recommended by a friend as a great place for lunch. I ordered a Reuben and Tina got a Pastrami Sub. Both were excellent. We could only eat half so we brought the other half home for dinner.

After getting back home we took the kids for a walk then spent the rest of the day relaxing, eating the rest of our lunch and generally taking it easy. Later, Tina went to the club house and played “Hand and Foot” for a couple of hours while I read and watched TV.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Market Day & Christmas Dinner

Saturday the 12th

Saturday morning I was up early and rode over to Naples to join a group of local riders for a 35 mile ride. When the others started showing up I learned that it was a training ride and the pace would be around 23 to 25, somewhat faster than what I like to ride. So I headed off and did a sprint through town to Gulfshore and rode down to the mouth of the river. On my return I found a farmers market so I raced (about 18 to 20 mph) home to tell Tina.

After a quick shower and change of clothes we headed back to the street fair for fresh vegetables and a few other goodies. Parking near "Tony's Off Third" we walked to the market. They had blocked off 3rd Street between 11th Ave and 13th Ave. There were quite a few people there and lots of vendors. We got some fresh blueberry muffins, bread, vegetables and some fresh eggs. We checked out other shopping opportunities but decided to go home and unload before doing anything else.

Since it was only 10:30 AM we took the kids for a long walk then headed off for the Big Cypress Market (http://www.bigcypressmarketplace.com/), billed as the biggest indoor Flea Market in SW Florida. We spent an hour there. I bought some Agatha Christie and Dick Francis books and then we headed home. It was somewhat disappointing since probably a third of the vendor stalls were empty. On the way home we stopped at a streetside vendor for lunch. I had a "Chicago Style Dog" and Tina had an "Italian Beef" sandwich. Yummmmm!!

We spent the afternoon relaxing, organizing photos and doing the blog. At five we walked down to the clubhouse for the annual Christmas Party dinner. Tina and the kitchen crew had spent Friday night peeling potatos, carrots and apples, then they made a dozen apple pies. Today, while we were out and about, several others did the cooking - roast beef, sweet carrots, mashed potatoes and gravey and carmelized onions.

We got there in time for a half hour of socializing before sitting down at our table for grace. There were 16 tables of eight people each so it was a pretty big crowd. With two lines, everybody was able to get served a great dinner. For desert, everyone was given a large slice of apple pie a-la-mode. Everything was delicious!!

After dinner the band struck up with dance music until 8:00 PM when they took a break and the Rock Creek Choir came up and performed a half dozen Christmas carols. Tina had been practicing with the group for a couple of weeks and they were absolutely fabulous, with several doen in four part harmony!! After their performance, Santa came in and handed out candy to all the guests followed by more dancing. Even Tina and I hit the floor for a couple of tunes!

By 9:30 PM we were ready to call it a night so we collected our stuff and headed back to the coach. After taking the kids out for a walk we deceided to call it a night.


To see all our photos click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

More Quiet Time

Our Week in Review

Monday we had planned to drive to the Everglades but another cold front rolled in and we had off and on rain showers. So we decided to move the drive to later in the week and spent time relaxing instead. That evening, a neighbor (Fernando from Toronto) and I went to the Sharks Den and shot in the 8-Ball Tournament. There were some pretty good players there, but with smoking allowed, I didn't play my best. Maybe better luck next week.


Tuesday was Tina’s day with the ladies. The monthly ladies luncheon was at noon and about 40 to 50 ladies attended. They all brought something to eat and also a toy to donate to the Naples Fire Department. Several representatives of the NFD attended also. We are volunteering to help distribute the toys with the NFD the last week before Christmas.

While Tina was at lunch, I headed out on a ride to the Everglades which are only about fifteen miles away. I had planned out a route that would take me southeast of Naples down through a number of residential areas and over towards an area south of the Florida Sports Park, home of the Swamp Buggy Races. I got to Sabal Palm Road which was supposed to head into the everglade. The pavement ended about a mile down the road (not expected) but it looked pretty solid so I thought I might as well see where it went.

Three miles later I was passed by some hunters in a beat up old van. They made a turn onto "G" Road so I followed, skirting several big mud puddles. Being curious, I continued forward, at times having to walk my bike across several unrideable sections or around mud puddles that were probably fifteen inches deep and stretched from one side of the road to the other. Too bad I didn't have my camera to record this ride.

Eventually I figured it was time to turn around and retrace my route. There was absolutely no sign of life other than a few birds in the scrublands. Besides, nobody knew where I was and even though I had my cell phone with me, I was in Panther country. So, back I went winding around through the everglades along six miles of road better suited to my mountain bike rather than my road bike, but it was fun. Once I was back on the pavement, it was a quick ride back to the RV Park and a shower. The rest of the afternoon was spent at the pool with a book and chaise lounge.


Wednesday was the men’s lunch at the Captain’s Cabin. About twenty guys from the RV Park showed up to play pool, have a beer and a bite to eat. I partnered up with another neighbor (Rollie from NC) and we held the table for two hours. After lunch, Tina and I went for a short bike ride before dinner. Later after dinner we went to the clubhouse and played Eucher for a couple of hours.


Thursday we took the dogs for a drive out towards Marco Island to check out a rumor of guided kayak tours of the back bayous. Turns out there is one available on Wednesdays and Fridays so we got the phone number and will schedule a trip for early January. Later that evening we went to the clubhouse and joined six other couples for a pot luck dinner. Tina brought a special salad and we had a pleasant meal and visited for a couple of hours. Very nice!


Friday we drove to Rookery Bay Preserve (http://www.rookerybay.org/), part of the SW Florida Conservancy. Rookery Bay is nationally recognized as one of the few remaining undisturbed mangrove estuaries in the United States. The bay provides habitat for recreationally and commercially important fish and shellfish. Dolphins, manatees, and birds use the shallow waters for feeding. Established in 1978, the reserve is located in Collier County between Naples and Marco Island. The core of the reserve is 12,500 acres of open water, mangrove wetlands, and pine and oak uplands. When the Aquatic Preserve and Cape Romano/Ten Thousand Islands Aquatic Preserve are included, the area managed by the Conservancy is over 112,000 acres. The photo is a model of a Polka-dot Bat Fish, one of the strangest looking fish in the sea. Its pectoral fins are quite flexible and situated on arm-like stalks which it uses these to "walk" along the bottom. There was a small one in one of the aquarium tanks.

There are twelve habitats in the Reserve and adjacent lands, including Coastal Xeric Scrub, Cypress Dome, Freshwater Marsh, Coastal Hammock, Saltwater Marsh and Mangrove Forests. A unique upland feature of Rookery Bay are shell mounds. These are mostly kitchen middens and refuse sites used by aboriginal Indians. We spent some time with one of the volunteer scientists who was doing a feeding of several of the fish species found in the bays and estuary then headed for the boardwalk where we were able to walk out into several of the different habitats.

After returning home we took the kids for a long walk then spent the afternoon reading and enjoying the nice weather.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Quiet Time In Naples

Well, when it rains in Florida it really rains. The predictions for Thursday were for rain by noon so we didn't plan anything except a little laundry and some other chores. Needless to say it didn't start raining until late in the day. So what did we do? We did laundry and some chores, walked the dogs and took it easy.

Now on Friday it was sprinkling when we got up so out came the dog towels with one going on the floor by the entry and the other in the co-pilot chair. It rained off and on all day, sometimes heavy, sometimes not. Of course every time the kids went for a walk it was coming down pretty good, after we started out naturally. Later that night the sky opened up and we got a couple of inches of rain overnight.

Saturday morning it was still coming down heavy for our morning walk. By the time we got back we were all drenched through and through. More towels, some for the kids some for us. After changing clothes we stayed in and watched TV and read while we waited for the rain to go away. Sure enough, by lunch time it had started drying up and the sun was peeking through the clouds. By dinner it was about 70 degrees with a stiff breeze, the leading edge of the cold front.

Sunday dawned cool and clear (of rain) with light cloud cover. After a breakfast of Blueberry Pancakes,juice and coffee we watched our Sunday morning TV program, CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood. After lunch we took the dogs up to the only Dog Park in the area at Veterans Park, north of Naples. The kids had a nice time playing with the other small dogs while we visited with their owners. Later we stopped at PetSmart and bought them each a new harness to replace their raggedy collars. After we got home Tina made some fresh salsa and burritos for dinner. Delicious!!

Tomorrow we are going to drive to the Everglades, stay tuned.

Tin City Bike Ride

Tuesday the 1st

It's about 70 degrees under a blue sky, the sun is shining and there's a soft breeze blowing as I take the kids for their morning 'before breakfast' walk. With a forecast of 80 degrees later today, can this really be winter? Hee, heee!!

Once our morning chores are done, the breakfast dishes washed and put away we got out our activity list to see what we wanted to do.

Since it was so nice out we decided to go for a bike ride into town and explore a small shopping area called "Tin City" (http://www.tin-city.com/) which is just across the Cocohatchee River, next to the downtown core.

We have a really simple route to get downtown on our bikes. We leave Rock Creek and using the sidewalk along Airport-Pulling Rd we take the first right to ride through a residential area parallel to Davis Ave. Nearing the end of the stree we turn left to Davis and, again staying on the sidewalk, ride west on Davis to 5th Ave S and across the Cocohatchee River. Once across the river, we are able to access a pedestrian/bicycle underpass along the river to cross 5th Ave, coming out at Tin City.

We parked our bikes, locked them up and walked into the complex of shops and restaurants. With over thirty businesses we browsed our way through most of them. We found a Beauty Salon for Tina and a shirt place for me. Since we were on our bikes I snagged some business cards as reminders to return.

Since it was nearly 12:30 PM we walked back to the Riverwalk Restaurant (http://www.riverwalktincity.com/) for lunch. Walking in we were shown to a table on the deck overlooking the harbor. Turns out Riverwalk Restaurant is a sister to The Dock Restaurant so we expected good food and we weren't dissapointed.

I ordered a Cuban Mahi Melt, pan seared mahi mahi pressed with jack cheese, tomato and smoked bacon on Cuban bread with a dill pickle mustard served with Mediteranean Orzo salad. Tina had three Grouper Tacos, fried grouper, shredded cabbage and chipotle aioli in flour tortillas, with salsa, black beans and rice. Just as good as we had yesterday!!

After lunch we rode back through the 5th Ave underpass and over to a newly developed shopping and residential complex along the river.

A beautiful collection of three and four story buildings with retail and professional on the ground floor and condos/appartments above. With beautiful landscaping, fountains, public art and underground parking, this area was a great example of improved urban development. I took several photos then we continued on our way.

We were headed north on Goodlette-Frank Street which runs parallel to Airport-Pulling but on the back side of the airport. As we rode along the sidewalk (not all streets have bike lanes, so bicycles are allowed on sidewalks) we came upon a sign for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida (http://www.conservancy.org/) so we decided to check it out. Turns out they are undergoing a major expansion and redevelopment but they are open so we will come back next week.

Continuing our ride north we passed the Naples Zoo (also on our list) finally reaching Golden Gate Parkway, a cross street we could take over to Airport-Pulling Rd, for the last leg of our bike ride. We finally pulled into Rock Creek about 3:00 PM. Ahhhh, just in time to do a load of laundry. Tina usually does a small load on a daily basis in the coach. But for big loads like sheets and towels we do that at the camp laundry. So we loaded up the laundry bag, took our books and went to do a load. I had changed into my swim suit, so after dropping Tina and the laundry, I walked down to the pool for a refreshing dip and a little sun.

An hour later we were done with the laundry and pool so gathered everything up and headed back to the coach and dinner. Later I went down to the Sharks Den and shot pool for a couple of hours. I was in stroke as the owner watched me shoot a couple of racks. After setting up a couple of practice shots he came over and invited me to join one of his teams. I explained we were just visiting but thanked him for the offer. I left around 8:30 PM but plan to return for the 8-Ball tournament on Thursday.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Wine and Cheese Party

Monday the 30th

It's another beautiful day on South Florida so we decided to go for a drive to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (http://www.corkscrew.audubon.org/). The Sanctuary, located about twenty miles NE of Naples, is an 11,000-acre nature preserve with a 2.25 mile long boardwalk trail. The walk passes through various habitats – pine forest, wet prairie, bald cypress and sawgrass marsh.

After taking the dogs out for their 'after breakfast walk' we headed out. Driving north on Airport-Pulling Rd we turned east at Immokalee Blvd finally arriving about 10:30 AM.

After parking and grabbing the cameras and a bottle of water, we entered the Blair Audubon Center and were greeted by a member of the Audubon Society. She gave us a rundown of the areas we were about to enter and told us that there were a number of Naturalists along the trail to answer questions.

One of the points she made was that part of the Sanctuary has the largest collection of ancient Bald Cypress in North America, the last unlogged virgin forest with many trees over 500 years old.

Relatives of the Redwood, these trees are really impressive soaring 130 feet, many with a diameter of 25 feet. Massive branches are draped with mosses, lichens, air plants, orchids, and ferns, home to many species of frog, insect and bird.

We headed out on our walk and were fortunate to see a Hawk, several Ibis, three different specias of Heron, a couple of Anhinga (relative of Cormorants), a couple of White Eyed Verios, a Pileated Woodpecker, a large Alligator, Cattle Egrets and evidence of Black Bears (claw marks on the Cyprus trunks). We were out on the trail for almost three hours before arriving back at the Center. We really enjoyed our walk and highly recommend the Sanctuary to anyone making a trip to the Fort Myers/Naples area. For more information about the sanctuary click on:

http://www.ecofloridamag.com/archived/corkscrew_swamp.htm

Since we missed lunch, Tina suggested we have a late lunch/early dinner at The Dock Restaurant (http://www.dockcraytoncove.com/) back in Naples on the Cocohatchee River next to the City Marina. We got there about 3:00 PM and were seated on the deck looking out over the marina. We both ordered sandwiches, I had a Kobe Beef Hamburger with Orzo Salad, Tina had a Cuban Pulled Pork with Black Beans and rice. Mmmmmmm, mmmm good!

We got home about an hour and a half later, took the kids for a walk, gathered up some snacks, some pop for me, a bottle of wine, our chairs and hiked to the other end of the campground for a Wine and Cheese Party. We actually got there a little late but since there is an every day gathering at 5:00 PM things were just getting under way. We sampled several snacks (meatballs, little smokies, several different cheeses, chips and a couple of different salsas), listened to some country music and visited with our neighbors.

We returned home around 6:00 PM after a long, enjoyable day.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Out and About in Naples & Tina's Birthday

Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Our big activity on Friday was a bike ride into town and lunch at Altins Cafe and Grill on 5th Avenue.

On Saturday we took advantage of the cooler weather and went for a ten mile bike ride in East Naples.

Sunday was Tina's 55th birthday. We had a lazy morning, then aAround 10:30 AM I got Tina her present and card, a small tabletop mirror with dragonflys all around it. I think she was surprised.

After lunch we went for a drive into Old Naples which is south of town along the bay leading to the gulf. We walked around a lot of very nicely designed older buildings, mixed use residential abouve retail and professional spaces, window shopping as we went.

There were a lot of older cars in the area, apparently bicycle and car clubs stop here for lunch on Sunday.

Leaving town we returned home for a quiet afternoon of reading and relaxing.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Thanksgiving Day

Thursday the 26th – Thanksgiving

A little cooler today, but still very nice. We spent most of the morning reading and playing with the dogs. Around noon Tina went and checked when we would have to be at the clubhouse to help with serving Thanksgiving Dinner. Then she came back and fixed a green bean casserole and a strawberry pudding to take with us.

Around 1:30 PM we headed out with our goodies and checked in at the kitchen where we were told it was a serve yourself dinner so we could just hang out and mingle, which we did. We marked our seats at one of the twelve tables and by 2:00 PM all the food was set out, the turkeys carved and grace was said.

Then it was time to dig in. The turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy were on the kitchen serving counter while all the side dishes were arranged on several long tables through the center of the room. All the desert dishes were arranged on a table at the opposite end of the hall.

With plates in hand everybody loaded up and dug in. There was plenty of conversation at our table of eight. Tina was on my left with Carol and Frank next to her, another couple to Franks left, then Big Jim and Richard were next to me. We have played Eucher with Carol and Frank. Lots of talk about bike riding, billiards, golf, family and friends so it was a very enjoyable afternoon.

As people finished their deserts, everyone pitched in to help clean up. Later, another group came back to make turkey soup with the leftovers, bringing carrots and celery to add in. We got home about 4:30 PM, stuffed to the gills. Sometime around 6:00 PM Tina went back to the club house and brought back a tupper full of soup, but we were both too full to eat so we saved it for tomorrows lunch.

We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and watching TV.

To see all our photos click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

In Search Of A Beach

Tuesday the 24th

The dogs went to the groomers this morning. We finally had to get them hair cuts. There is a type of grass down here that breaks off in very small pieces along with very small seeds that get embedded in their coats and especially their muzzles. Keeping them clean and happy was turning into a half hour chore every time they came back in from a walk.

Later in the day Tina and I took a drive down to Marco Island to check out the area and stop at Tiger Tail Beach. After about a twenty five minute drive we were on Marco Island. Much like Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, Marco Island is dedicated to high end residential homes and resorts with very little public beach access.

We got to the parking lot at Tiger Tail County Park, paid our entrance fee, then strolled to the beach. Crossing the dunes on a boardwalk we arrived at the beach only to find that we were really on an inner beach and the only way to get to the gulf shore was to walk across a four foot deep tidal estuary and cross the dunes lining the gulf.

Disappointed and not prepared for a watery hike we decided to see if there wasn’t a better access somewhere else. Fortunately my sob story to the gate guy got us a refund and we drove back to the main drag. Driving south along the island all we saw were Condo and Resort towers, no public beach access, so we turned around and drove down some side roads to explore. Very pretty but still no beach access.

We returned home and had a quiet afternoon. After dinner I drove to Sharks Den Billiards and shot pool for a couple of hours. Nice place.

To see all our photos click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Big Bike Ride and RV Repairs

Monday the 23rd

Up at 5:00AM this morning, I’m going up to Bonita Bay for a bike ride. Yesterday I talked to the Bonita Bay Bicycle Club about joining them for a ride and was told to be at the Tennis Center by 7:45 AM. Since our regular alarm clock was on the fritz and the “Punky” Alarm was set for 6:50 AM I had to rely on my internal clock to wake me up. Well, it sorta worked, heheheh!

I had made some arrangements last night to have my riding clothes ready so I was out of the house in plenty of time. Heading north on Airport-Pulling Road I got about three miles away before noticing my sunglasses were still back at the coach. Not good. Since there was plenty of time I turned around and went back, picking up my sunglasses and a banana.

Since it was still early, but after 6:00 AM, I swung over to Joes Diner and had breakfast, a 2-2-2. Two eggs, two pancakes and two pieces of bacon - couldn’t eat it all, even washing everything down with coffee. Finishing my breakfast I got back on Airport-Pulling Rd and headed north.

Its about a twenty mile drive so I had allowed about 45 minutes. But with limited traffic the trip only took half an hour. I got to the Tennis Center about a quarter after seven and waited for twenty minutes until the club president, Claude, arrived. He had me sign a release and then introduced me to the other club members as they arrived. Most were in their late fifties or early sixties so I fit right in.

Just before heading out we split into two groups, the “A” level riders who average about 24 mph and the “B” level group which rides about 20 mph. I joined the second group since I hadn’t been out on a serious ride since we left Denise’s house (Antioch, Wisconsin) last June. Good thing I did. Turns out my group had planned to go out for about 45 miles.

It was a nice day for a ride, about 75 with a light overcast and a slight breeze coming in from the gulf. The ride from Bonita Bay went south to Naples following many of the side streets which are lined with resorts and very expensive homes. Most major roads have a dedicated bike lane, the side roads have limited traffic but it’s not like riding in the NW, everything is flat. Good for me as we were moving at a pretty good clip in a pace line most of the way.

Arriving in Naples we came into the heart of town and stopped at “Tony’s Off Third” for coffee and a scone. Thirty minutes later we were back on the road following a different return route north. We finally made it back to the Tennis Center at Bonita Bay averaging over 16 mph for the ride including our stops for lights and stop signs. I think our average pace was around 21 mph while riding.

I got back home around noon and had a bite to eat with Tina then made a call to “Toms Mobile RV” to have someone come out and check out the Generator which had refused to start. The service technician, Dean, showed up about an hour an a half later. He listened to the clicking when the starter button was pushed, got out his creeper, went under the coach and a minute later came out and started the generator. Turns out it was a loose ground wire.

As he was writing up the invoice, I mentioned that Tina had been experiencing difficulties with the washer/dryer during the drying cycle. Since he had to bill us for an hour of shop time, Dean offered to look at the unit. I mentioned that I saw water in one of the storage compartments where the dryer hose was located thinking it might be part of the problem.

Turns out there is a water leak. With all the access panels removed, Dean finally found a problem with the hot water hose fitting to the shower and was able to replace the fitting and fix that problem. Then it was ck to trying to diagnose the dryer problem. After tracing the wiring, checking the breaker panel for voltage and eliminating several potential ideas, Tina said that it seemed to happen when the A/C was running. Dean ran a couple of tests and finally figured out that the voltage was dropping at the dryer with the A/C on.

This eventually lead us to the outside power pole where we had plugged in our 50 amp power cord. After testing the power outlet, it seems we had a bad connection. So Dean went down to the office to let them know they had a faulty power outlet and we decided we’d do laundry early in the morning with the A/C off.

Ten minutes later, a camp maintenance man and Dean returned. Seems the problem was known to the Park and they had pulled new wires and set up a new power pole about five feet behind the one I was plugged into but it hadn’t been identified for our site. We turned off the power at both boxes, pulled my power cord out of one and plugged it into the “correct” box then flipped the breaker switches back on.

Problem solved. Dean was there for about three hours but only billed us for an additional hour of labor which was a good deal as we actually didn’t know about the water leak, so we got three problems resolved.

Dinner was steak and roasted green beans with pine nuts. Deeeelicious!!

Naples Botanical Gardens

Sunday the 22nd

The weather changed this morning. It’s partly sunny with slightly higher humidity but shorts and tee shirt weather none the less - heh, heh!! To all our family, friends and neighbors back in the Seattle area - we’re thinking of you and enjoying the sun on your behalf.

This morning being Sunday we decided to go out for breakfast. So after walking the kids we jumped in the car and headed for Joe’s Diner where we had a great breakfast and relaxed with the paper over coffee.

After our morning repast we headed south towards the Naples Botanical Gardens (http://www.naplesgarden.org/). This is a very beautifully designed series of gardens highlighting plants found between latitudes 26 degrees north and 26 degrees south. With over 160 acres of lakes and lands, representing seven distinct natural habitats and ecosystems, the gardens feature over 600 species.

Currently the Naples Botanical Garden is the second largest biologically designed garden in Florida. Divided into distinct garden types with incredible designs -- the Caribbean, Asian, and Brazilian Gardens all include plants and cultural flavor of those regions. There's also a Florida Garden with native species and an interactive and educational Children's Garden and a beautiful Butterfly garden as well.

Still under development, the master plan for future development calls for a center for natural science, plant collections, art, science, history exhibitions, and education. When the newest additions to the gardens are completed next year it is expected to be the largest garden of its type in Florida.

We really enjoyed our time at the gardens and were also able to incorporate a mile long walk through the preserve around the lakes and out to the viewing tower. Incredibly well designed there are really beautiful artworks accentuating the entrances to the different sections. Well worth our time.

Leaving the gardens we made a quick stop at Home Depot for a small screw and piece of wood then headed over to the Fruit Stand we found the other day to pick up some fresh fruit and vegetables. Then it was back home to download and organize our photos, have lunch and spend the rest of the day relaxing after out morning adventure.

To see all our photos click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Return of the Snowbirds

Saturday the 21st

The good weather continues. Up at 7:00 AM to walk and feed the dogs, Tina got up while I was out and started the coffee. Later after breakfast we decided to do nothing today. So we spent the day relaxing, reading and walking the kids.

After lunch Tina and I spent some time researching places to go in the area so we could put together a calendar for the next two months. We located a dog park and a dog beach, several Preserves and Botanical Gardens, a couple of special beaches we want to go to, a place to visit in the Everglades and a bout ride down to Key West from Marco Island.

Later in the afternoon we joined about 75 other residents at the pool and clubhouse for a special “Welcome Back Snowbirds” dinner. This consisted of several teams competing in a small putt-putt golf tournament around the pool cheered on by all the bystanders. Great fun for all!

After the contests ended everyone moved into the clubhouse to our dinner tables while the event organizers awarded prizes for the best golf scores, the most outrageous golf outfit and the best guess for the number of golf tees in a big gallon jar. We started off the meal with a fruit plate then took our plates and went to the kitchen for mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, fried chicken and a roll. For desert there was a large piece of pineapple pudding cake with coffee.

Dinner was followed by live music and dancing. We stayed for about an hour then walked home.

To see all our photos, click on :

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Bicycling Naples Town

Friday the 20th

We are continuing to have perfect weather which makes it nice for getting out and about or just lazing around the pool. Today we ventured out on the bikes for downtown Naples. After stopping at the office for advice we pulled out of the RV Park and headed south on Airport Rd making aright on Estey Avenue. Before getting to the end we turned south on Brookside Dr toward Davis Avenue. At the corner Tina pulled into a small fruit stand and I followed. This was a real find!!

Parking the bikes we went inside. What a surprise! A huge selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, wines, a butcher shop and deli all under one roof. Exactly the kind of grocer you expect to find in a retail/residential area. After sampling several varieties of fresh home made salsa we headed back out to the bikes to continue our ride.

We rode along the wide sidewalk next to Davis Avenue until it intersected the Tamiami Trail (Hwy 41), a major north-south route along Florida’s West coast. Crossing the two arms of the Cocohatchee River we turned off the sidewalk to go under the highway towards the coast. Exiting the underpass we were in an area called “Tin City” and the famed “Riverwalk Shops”.

Not wanting to spend too much time on our outing in shops, we made a note to come back when we had more time. Continuing on our route we came to the City Dock and marina on the Cocohatchee. Seems we couldn’t quite find the right street to take us out to the beaches.

So we rode through the residential areas looking at nice older buildings and wandered back towards camp eventually retracing our route past the Fruit Stand and ending back at the coach. We were out for about two hours and got back just in time to have lunch and spend the rest of the day doing nothing.

Well, almost nothing -we took the kids for several walks, read and Tina went out and found a small table for the coach.

To see all our photos click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Starting our stay in Naples

Thursday the 19th

The weather here has been simply marvelous. Cool at night (high 50's) and warm (low 80's) during the day.

Yesterday afternoon we went for a long bike ride, out and around the municipal airport. Then in the evening we went down to the Club House and played Euchre for a couple of hours with fourteen other residents. It was a fun evening.



Today we loaded the bikes on the car and drove through town to a small park along the Gulf shore. From here we rode along a route I found on the internet up to Vanderbuilt Beach and on to Delnor-Wiggens Pass State Park.

Turning around we made the return trip but included a stretch along a bicycle path in front of many beach condo towers. The path is actually a large dike that acts as a barrier in case of storm surge. Lots of birds, fish jumping and even aligators basking in the sun along the side of the berm. Each of the condo towersconnect to the dike with boardwalks and there is a tram service that pickspeople up at various stations and takes them to the various beaches in the area.

We got back to the car, loaded the bikes and took a different route home. Returning to the coach we took the kids for a walk, then it was time to head for the pool to cool off. After a couple of refreshing dips and time to read we returned to the coach and the kids.

Tina is fixing a pork roast for dinner - with saurkraut. Yippeeee!!

Juno Beach to Naples

Tuesday the 17th

This is a travel day but since we had to pick up our new hide-a-bed mattress around noon there wasn’t any rush to get started. Once the dogs were walked and fed Tina and I had our breakfast then started putting things away for travel.

At 10:30 AM La-Z-Boy called and said the mattress was in so we fired up the coach, loaded the bikes and hooked up the trailer. I pulled out and went around to park on a slight downhill slope to help the loading of the car on the tow dolly.

With safety chains ready and the tire tie downs out Tina drove up onto the car dolly and it swung up into position just the way it was supposed to work. I positioned the locking pins and attached the safety chains while Tina secured the tire tie down strap on one front wheel. We put the other wheel tie down on and we cinched up the straps, checked that we were road ready then went in and washed our hands. By 11:00 AM we were headed south on US-1.

We planned to follow the same route as the other day so we got to La-Z-Boy store in Wellington Shopping Mall by noon. Tina had already removed the old mattress so we went in and got the new one, rolled it to the coach on a small dolly, took it out of the box, stuffed the old one in the box and rolled it up to the disposal area. Elapsed time, fifteen minutes.

While we were sitting there, Tina made us a couple of sandwiches so we ate lunch in the parking lot before continuing our journey. After lunch we pulled out of the parking lot onto SR 441 for the 30 mile drive to the Sawgrass Expressway. This is a toll road so before getting on we had to go through a toll booth. Unfortunately this one was unmanned and required exact change to continue.

While Tina searched for our laundry quarters I tried to read the amount due. Two problems cropped up, 1) I was too high up to read the LED reader and too far away to just drop a couple of quarters in the grill. Tina found some quarters and I tried to toss them in one at a time. It felt like I was on the midway at the Island County Fair trying to win a stuffed animal. I probably threw six quartes at the grill before two quarters fell in and the light turned green. Fortunately there was no one waiting behind us while my quarters were flying everywhere but into the machine. Tina was laughing so hard she almost fell out of her chair – heheheheh!!

Once on the Expressway, also known as Alligator Alley, we made good time over to I-75 passing several alligators, some Armadillos and lots and lots of birds. There were a couple more toll booths but they had staff to take our money. So we didn’t have any more coin tosses. I-75 took us through the Everglades across the southern part of Florida. Very flat, lots of water and covered with sawgrass.

Leaving I-75 at exit 101 we headed for Naples. Six miles later we pulled into Rock Creek RV Resort. With help from a staff person we dropped of the car, got the tow dolly disconnected and backed into our new site. This is our new home for the next two months.

Once we were set up and connected to power, water, cable and sewer it was time to take the kids for a walkabout. We stopped and talked to lots of other pet owners on our walk, people seemed very friendly. I think we’ll enjoy our time here.

Returning to the coach we installed the new mattress in the Hide-A-Bed then I grabbed the car keys and we drove into Naples. Tina was too tired to cook so we went looking for a small café where we could get some dinner. We found an Olive Garden and had a very good dinner, bringing enough home for another meal.

After dinner we got a few things out and decided to just kick back and veg out.

No photos today.

Distance for today, 160 miles. Distance for the trip so far, 4,014 miles.

Juno Beach - Day 9

Monday the 16th

Today is dedicated to chores – cleaning, laundry and shopping as we get ready to head to the Gulf Coast on Tuesday. After cleaning the inside of the coach while Tina did a big load (sheets, big towels, blankets, etc.) we finished the shopping list then headed for WalMart, which was just the other side of Jupiter.

Well, we passed through Jupiter, Tequesta and no sign of WalMart. By now we are about fifteen miles north and getting frustrated. We agreed that we had gone too far, so we turned around and headed back south. Stopping for gas, Tina went in and asked for directions. Turns out the store was only a mile past where we turned around, about five miles back.

So we turned around and headed back, found WalMart, parked and went inside to do our shopping. With the groceries loaded in the trunk I looked over my shoulder for oncoming cars and slowly started backing out. CRUNCH!! Dang, looking over my other shoulder I saw we had backed into a brand new Caddy who was doing the same thing. Seems we both tried to back out of our parking spots at the same time and met in the middle. Moving back into our respective parking stalls, we got out, inspected the damage and exchanged insurance info. The damage to our car was slight, but the Caddy was badly bruised. Well, these things happen.

We left WalMart and headed south to home. After packing the groceries into the coach I went out and used a little buffing compound to remove the scratches before calling the insurance people. Tina did a little more pick-up around the coach, put the laundry away then we made the bed. Later that evening we went to “The Fish house Restaurant” for dinner. Tina had the Whole Lobster dinner while I had a Seafood Stew. Both were very good.

By now it was about 7:30 PM so we decided to quit work for the day and finish in the morning.

No photos today.

Juno Beach - Day 8

Sunday the 15th

Whoooa!! Well!! It seems I’m not moving fast enough for Punky this morning. Wickety on the other hand seems perfectly content to just lay here with Tina. Heh, heh, I guess I don’t need to wash my face this morning. Ahhhh, I see now, the sky is a beautiful cerulean blue with nary a cloud to be seen and there are people out with their dogs headed for the dog walk area. Time to get going.

After a lazy morning the temperature was about 74 degrees by 10:30 AM so we decided to go for a bike ride. Mapping out a route we headed off to explore some more of the area. Our route took us through several beautiful residential neighborhoods along the Coastal Inland Waterway. Really nicely maintained with green lawns and palm trees everywhere. A special note, the Intracoastal Waterway is about 3,000 miles long, parallel to the Atlantic coast from Boston, Massachusetts to Key West Florida. It is a combination of natural rivers and manmade canals and provides sheltered passage for commercial and leisure boats.

By noon we were headed towards Jupiter on US 1 when we stopped at a small group of commercial buildings looking for a place to eat lunch. Bingo! There were three places to eat, an Italian Bistro, a Danish Café and a B&R. We decided to eat at the “Café Copenhagen” (http://www.cafecopenhagen.com/). Parking the bikes we were led to an outdoor courtyard where we were seated under a large umbrella next to a small pool with plants everywhere. A young lady was playing a small Yamaha electric piano and singing. She had a clear sweet voice.

We ordered a couple of salads, Tina chose the “Stuffed Avocado with grilled shrimp, fruit, cucumber salad and a fresh baguette while I had the Danish Country Cobb with chicken, bacon, egg salad, cucumber salad with blue cheese crumbles. We both had iced green tea with honey garnished with an orange slice. Absolutely scrumptious!!! While we were eating the owner and chef, Christian Cotton, stopped by for a chat. What a wonderful lunch.

Leaving the Café, we continued north on US 1 then cut through another residential area towards the Atlantic and A1A. While on A1A we watched the kite surfers and regular surfers enjoying the waves. Continuing south we eventually returned to the coach and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing.

To see all our photos click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Juno Beach - Day 7

Saturday the 14th

It’s 6:30 AM, the sun is shining, the sky is blue, the surf is up and it’s another beautiful day in Juno Beach. Last night Tina suggested going to the VNA Air Show (http://vnaairshow.com/) up in Stuart. So I went online and printed out a couple of General Admission tickets. We figured to head out around 10:30 AM so we could get a good place to sit.

We took the dogs for a long walk then put the lawn chairs, cameras and binoculars in the car. Witham Airport in Stuart is about 23 miles north on US 1. Traffic was light and we reached our destination in about forty minutes. Then it took another twenty minutes to wind our way to a parking spot.

Once parked, we grabbed our gear and started walking back to the flight line. Along the way we passed a dozen planes parked as static displays – from a giant C-130 Starlifter to an old Stearman Bi-Plane. A pair of A-10 Tornadoes were flanked by several WWII fighters, small bombers, trainers, stunt planes and a dozen helicopters, from small Robinsons to fully rigged Blackhawks.

Before leaving the static display areas Tina spotted an old Mohawk aerial surveillance plane. It kinda looked like a mosquito with a big front end and small long body. So we walked over to visit with the owner/pilot. Turns out this is the plane Tina used to fly in when she was in the Army at Fort Huachuca, NM in the early seventies. They swapped stories for a while then we headed for the viewing area next to the announcers stand.

After setting up our chairs we walked back to the food concessions and got a large Iced Tea and a couple of big Giros for lunch. Behind the concessions a small fair with rides was set up. Looking around there were thousands of people at the event but surprisingly it didn’t feel crowded. With lunch in hand we sat down in our chairs to watch the show.

Turns out our timing was pretty good. Before we finished our giros the show opening was getting under way. Another C-130 was taking off followed by two small chase planes. As the planes reached an altitude of 5,000 feet three streamers were dropped to gauge the wind speed and direction. On the next pass, a lone parachutist exited the rear of the C-130 with the American Flag and trailing smoke streamers.

As the jumper was floating down under his parafoil the two chase planes executed circles around him with smoke trails. At the same time as the flag was descending, the national anthem was sung by a local high school student. As the guy with the flag touched down, a mass jump was made from the C-130 which had gone up to 10,000 feet. What a marvelous and stunning opening for the show.

Before long one of the A-10s took to the air and performed various mission maneuvers. These are the same type of planes stationed at NAS Whidbey. Several strafing runs were made along with flash-bang pyrotechnics on the ground to simulate ordinance impacts, then another pass, which simulated dropping a 500 pound bomb, done with TNT and gasoline. Very impressive and verrrry loud!!

For the next several hours we watched numerous aerial acrobatic displays as teams of small monoplanes decorated the sky, a fly through by a powered hang glider with multi-colored smoke streamers, a flying demonstration by the bi-plane and precision team flying by four old WWII P3 Mustangs.

The show was really well done and the weather was perfect with high lacy clouds, temps in the high 70’s and a light breeze to keep things cool. Around 3:30 we decided to make our way back to the car to head home getting back to the coach around 4:30 PM just in time to take the kids for a walk and start dinner. After a great dinner of pork chops and broccoli with strips of prosciutto and sprinkled with fresh grated parmesan cheese – delicious!!

After cleaning up the dinner dishes I went up and shot a little pool, spending an hour giving one of the residents a lesson. What a nice day!!

To see all of todays photos click on the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski