FL/MD – Christmas

   Our Christmas was great!  The few days before, we spent time with Carl’s daughter-in-law, Katherine and hubby, JP in Punta Gorda.  It was wonderful to see Carl’s grandson, David and his girlfriend Brie, too.  Quite a menagerie of cute little critters are also part of the family.   We were invited to soak in the hot tub one evening and….IT WAS FABULOUS!  Thank you!  Thank you!  I was talking to Katherine about what was particularly great in her life so I could include it in the blog and she said that we were. JP works for the Florida Forestry.Read More

FL – Key West – Part 3 – A Gallery Finale

How often do ya see this?! Carnival cruise ship just pulled in Turn onto US 1…are you kidding?  LOL Coconut cart I don’t even know! Lobster trap tree…very cool Oh, yeah!!!! I took this t-shirt picture in honorof my son Matthew…it brought backmemories of his childhood. Brilliant sign! Love it! This pic I took to give my friend Aloraha little chuckle One of MANY! Found me a coconut…lol  Zoom in…I think it’ll beclear enough to read…it’spretty awesome! Of course, we had to get apicture of us under theKapok TreeSuch tourists!!!!  lol  Sights to behold all over town!  From the famousRead More

FL – Key West – Part 2

    Two really cool tourist spots that we visited were The Key West Lighthouse and Museum and Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville!   Both venues were quite spectacular in their own right…lol      Margaritaville…oh, yes!  How fun is that?!  Truth be told, we didn’t get anything to drink in there… we stopped in to get a carry-out order of conch fritters…LOL   Delicious, btw!      The lighthouse was built in 1847 to replace the original one built of wood that got wiped out in a hurricane.  Even after this new brick one was constructed, another 20 feet were addedRead More

FL – Key West…Better Late than Never – Part 1

  Left-Atlantic OceanRight-Gulf of Mexico WOW!  Finally!  Plan ‘A’ was to be here in May of this year.  Scooter wipe-out redid my schedule…LOL  What’s 7 months in the scheme of a lifetime adventure, huh?!     High prices, the abominable parking situation and a few cancelled events aside…it was worth the wait!  Key West was quite beautiful with it’s swaying palms, sun-kissed glistening waters and eclectic architecture.  I hadn’t realized how functionality, the military, cultural diversity as well as hurricanes, fires and the overall tropical climate has influenced and effected the architecture in Key West.  It was very interesting toRead More

FL – Key Largo

  Hooray…The Florida Keys!!!  Key Largo, the first of the 5 main keys.  It seems almost surreal that I layed on the beach in Key Largo!  Gotta say though, “I LOVE IT!!!” Awesome!!!     We only stayed 2 nights since it was really only a pitstop on the way to Key West.  John Pennekamp State Park was beautiful though and we took several hikes and saw many cool undersea critters on display in the Visitor’s Center. These guys were chillin’ all around the beachareas by the stone picnic tables…oh, my! Shrimp I totally forgot what this fish is called.Doesn’tRead More

FL – Everglades Outpost Wildlife Reserve in Homestead

Multi-colored trunk…like a rainbow! Hhhmmmm???!!!      As we headed to the Keys, we began our journey through the Everglades.  I was so excited…always wanted to experience them for whatever reason.  Here’s a shot I took from the road. Everglades…yippee!        Continuing on our way to the Keys, we spent 3 nights in the Homestead area near Miami.  Our residence for that time was at a Home Depot!!!  It’s amazing to me how many people need what they offer at 7:00 on a Sunday morning…LOL     The main place we went to while there was the WildlifeRead More

FL – My 200th Post

    WOW!  Twenty months into my adventure and 199 posts later, here I sit in Key West, Florida feeling blessed beyond measure and still filled with the unbounded wonderment as I did on day 1!!! Every day I awake with a sense of gratitude in my heart for the gift of being able to travel at will.           This adventure has been fraught with joyous moments, powerful lessons, amazing surprises, golden opportunities, spectacular vistas, unexpected ‘setbacks’, bright faces, beautiful spirits, new friends and the comfort of knowing I am loved and have others TO love!Read More

FL – Tin City and Naples Pier

        Tin City is what some people call the ‘soul of Naples.’  Back in the day, it was an area with many tin-roofed buildings.  It was a clam shelling and oyster processing plant.  There are nautical artifacts,  antiques and displays that take you back in time when Naples became Naples as the hub of economic growth.  Boat building along with the fishing industry really put this place on the map.       It is still a charming little area with gobs of shops selling items from magic tricks to clothing and everything in between.  There areRead More

FL – Lowdermilk Park and Beach in Naples

   Lowdermilk Park offers a beautiful white-sanded beach.  It is not very big, maybe 1,000′ but it really sweet.  There’s a great little concession with covered tables, tiki-type umbrellas for rent and the opportunity to see a remarkable sunset.  We just went to hang out for a few hours and it was wonderful! Okay, but I LOVE moss!!!          There was one unusual sight…bees laying along the shoreline…some dead and many others nearly so.  It seems that rapid shifts in weather (recent cold front) as well as high levels of humidity cause whole colonies of bees toRead More

FL-On The Road Again!!! “Car Afficionado Heaven”

  Here we go…..!!!!!         WOW, our first adventure spot in Naples was The Rev Institute which houses the second largest collection of historic, classic, rare and wildly expensive vehicles in the world.  The Collier Collection has over 100 significant automobiles from 1896-1995.  These vintage vehicles literally changed history.  We spent over 2 hours there checking them all out!  It was an absolute blast and worth every minute of our tour!  Enjoy!!! Short like me…lol Awesome engines…boy toys…lol Check out the horn!!! AND, the headlights were candles! Rare find…exhaust on the side My fave!!!! The chassy wasRead More