Fort Myers with Family

Amanda and Dave

Kaia

Roger here...  We have been to Fort Myers, Florida many, many, many times.  My parents wintered near here in La Belle.  Dear friends of ours have a house in Naples.  This is not unfamiliar territory.

The total purpose of this visit was to spend time with our daughter, Amanda; her boyfriend, Dave; and our granddaughter, Kaia.  That we did.

The Visit...  

Amanda and Dave both work at the Edison Country Club.  Their conveniently located apartment is on the golf course.  Their back patio backs directly onto one of the fairways.  Anyone who knows Amanda knows that she feeds any animal that she sees.  The ducks below come to their patio for their daily handouts.  They also follow Amanda around the golf course where she carries food for them, and the squirrels, and the crows, ad nauseam.  I watched Dave feeding them while we were there.

Dave showed us around on his golf cart.  (Decorated  for his beloved Baltimore Ravens -- Dave is the ultimate sports fan. -- D.)
  He stores it behind the apartment.  It is a beautiful course, and well cared-for.

The four of us had lunch at the Edison, where Dave is the kitchen manager.  The food was great.


We took them back to see our new airstream at Franklin Locks, where we were camped.  We tried sitting outside, but it was the middle of the day and SO hot and humid that we crammed inside before heading back to have dinner with Kaia.

While we were in the Airstream, Amanda noticed a footprint on the ceiling!  What?

Wow!  :-)!!  We figured out that it was caused when Dianne swatted the yellow flies with her flip flop that sneaked into our tiny home back in Carabelle.  We probably need to clean that up :-).

The picture of Kaia at the beginning of this post was taken at the Outback Steakhouse where she is a hostess.  She joined us for dinner after her shift ended.  She is in the pre-nursing program at Florida SW College.  

The following morning, the five of us went to breakfast at the McGregor Cafe.  Great food!  We ate outside in the shade.

Later in the day Kaia went shopping for birthday gifts for her boyfriend while Dianne, Amanda and I made a stop at Big Lots.  Amanda continues to find neat things for our new trailer....   

Dianne here:  She has a knack for finding the perfect thing.  Previously she had mailed us this cute pillow:

She knows her mother well, and sent this perfect charm for my trailer window --

And this pretty light catcher.  The charm and the light catcher throw colored dots all around the aluminum interior of the trailer when the sun hits them.  

After the shopping extravaganza Kaia, Dianne and I all went to the Bell Tower Place Cinema to see Aladdin.  It was Kaia's idea.  I fondly remember taking her to see all the Disney cartoons when she was young, so this was special.  We also got to meet her boyfriend, Dylan.  I did not embarrass anyone by trying to take his picture :-).  He seems like a nice young man.

After the movie, Kaia showed us her apartment.  I forgot to take pictures!  She has done a great job decorating it.  We are both so proud of her.  

Saying goodbye to Kaia and Amanda and Dave was tough.  We will miss them so much until we see them again.

Dianne's Teensy-Weensy Trailer Tip:

The trailer came with a magnetic white board and three hooks mounted near the door.   I added two additional hooks for our dog leashes, a clear caddy above the white board to hold a flashlight, and a stick-on tap light that dims for when I want to get up in the night without waking Roger.  The item beneath Bandido's frisbee is a fold-up tote bag that unzips into a full-size tote when needed and folds back into a neat, tidy package that hangs from a hook.  

 In our motor home, we had a big US map with stick-on states that we'd adhere when we'd enter a new state in the motor home.  That map was totally complete except for New England and Alaska.  We are starting over again.   In keeping with our downsizing routine, we are coloring in states on a small map.   I'm using a different color marker depending on the year we first visit a state. This summer will finally take in New England.

AFTER 50 YEARS....

Roger, Dianne, Judie, Bill

One of the great things about Facebook is reconnecting with childhood friends.  Judie and I went to school together, both elementary and high school in Indiana.  We had not seen each other in 50 years!  She and her husband Bill live in Naples.   We met for lunch at the Fish House Restaurant in Bonita Springs to catch up on our lives and discuss RV'ing and Airstream trailers.   We just might meet them on the road one of these days in their own Airstream.  

Our Campground --- Franklin Lock COE

We continue to return to our favorite Corps of Engineers campground at Franklin Lock and Dam whenever we are near Ft. Myers.  The RV sites here are amazing.  They are all located on an island in the middle of the Caloosahatchee River.  Our pull-through site is right on the water and overlooks the dam and the locks.

We have a covered picnic table that gives us some relief from the intense sun.  We moved our chairs from place to place following the shade.

During our stay we watched countless water craft go through the lock.

Our camping chairs gave us an excellent location for watching the bald eagles (in the distance), the manatees, the turtles, one alligator and of course the birds that were always at our site. We whimsically named the frequent visitors after people who have been dear to us.

This is Clara, named after Dianne's Grandmother Robison.  She is a little blue heron.


We named Hazel, a yellow crested night heron, after my Grandmother Norris.

Hazel hunts for food directly in front of us throughout the day.  Her nest must be nearby.

This is Audrey, named after my Grandmother Hays.

This frequent visitor was named after Dianne's Grandma McNutt.



We named the three ibises below after my aunt, my uncle, and my other aunt.  Meet Marjorie, Jack and Helen.

Here they are again.  They seem to be on a mission.

The view below is from the west point of the island a few steps away.

A large mangrove tree graces the eastern tip of the island and serves as a nesting place for a myriad of large birds --- egrets, ibises, anhingas, herons, etc. It is amazing that they all nest in the same space.

It is intriguing to watch them fly in at sunset to claim their spot.

The sunsets in this serene oasis are outstanding.

The last evening at Franklin Locks I utilized the outdoor grill at the campsite and some Match Light charcoal to grill steaks.  Nice setting.

The morning of our departure an anhinga put on a show for us.  She thrashed around under the water for a couple of minutes to capture a fish, then raised her head out of the water and tossed the fish into the air before swallowing it.  A few minutes later she spread her wings to dry.  Anhingas do not have wax on their wings like many water birds.  The absence of wax enables them to swim under water in search of prey.  The down side is that they must dry their wings before flying away.

We are currently at an overnight stop at a KOA in St. Marys, Georgia.  The LONG drive here from Fort Myers was much more exhausting than our typical four-hour jaunts.  

Stop and Go Traffic on I-4 through Orlando --- not fun

I have been negligent in posting pet pictures of the day recently.  That will end soon as we spend time with our Cinderella Pet Rescue friends, Brett and Sharon, in Lugoff, South Carolina.  Until then.

Golf Carting at The Villages

Roger here...

We spent several
days at The Villages visiting my brother, Dick, and my sister-in-law, Pam.  What a great reunion!  The opening pictures show Dick and his pride and joy golf cart all tricked out in a Purdue theme.

Golf-carting is everything in this gigantic community between Ocala and Orlando.  

Most of the residents can take care of all their needs via their golf cart.  The golf cart paths are endless, leading to the various villages, groceries, entertainment complexes, pharmacies, restaurants, bars, dancing, golf, swimming, and endless activities.  You really only need a car for travel.
There are even gas stations exclusively for golf carts.

But back to the reason for our visit before returning to our brief golf-cart life style.

We had not seen Dick and Pam since our daughter's wedding last December.  Dick has been wanting for us to see his new retirement home and community. 
  

They offered us a spot in their driveway for four nights.  Backing in was another adventure, but after several tries I did get it backed in.  Although, the position of the two vehicles was reversed due to my incompetence.  Oh well.

Dick and Pam's house was really nice, as expected.  We especially loved the view of "the preserve" from their glassed-in lanai.

Our dogs spent their days on the lanai in air-conditioned comfort.  At night they slept with us in the guest room.



Happy hours were fun on the lanai.

Break in the action. It is time for.....


Dianne's Teensy-Weensy Trailer Tip:

To organize things like our checkbooks, pens, pencils, address book, internet code book, wallet, etc. I found these nifty organizers on Amazon.   They sit on the back rests of the dinette and make all these items handy and in one spot.  I put spare change in the little drawer:

I organize our receipts into envelopes by month.   I have obviously saved these since 1989 and I KNEW they'd come in handy some day!

Wallet, sunglasses, and our calendar fit in the back side of the above organizer, which swivels.   Everything at our fingertips!

Golf Carting Time....

Dick rented a four-seater so that we could all ride in the same cart.  He took us everywhere --- well not everywhere --- this place is too big to see in four days.  

We visited four of the many village squares.  This is Lake Sumpter Landing.  It sits on the shore of Sumpter Lake.

We stopped to take some very interesting walks.  Dick and Pam  know that we love the natural world, so strolls through the wilder (but tamed) areas were great fun.

Most of these pictures were taken from raised boardwalks.  We could see down into the water.

We lingered quite a while in this water lilly spot.  So serene.  So quiet.  So peaceful.

The days were very warm.  This heron is breathing through an opened mouth in an attempt to stay cool.

We rode past this polo field, something new for us. They were preparing for a three-day hot air balloon festival.  

The Eisenhower Recreation Center was a particular treat.  It was filled with WWII memorabilia --- pictures, documents, uniforms, etc.

The meeting room with the replicas of presidential chairs was really cool.

When Pam wasn't preparing sumptuous meals for us, we ate at the various villages.  After lunch at the Fenton town square, Dianne discovered this antique pump organ that was identical to one her grandmother owned.  

Entertainment....

Dick and Pam enjoying a pre-entertainment beer

All of the villages have entertainment every night at 4:30 p.m.

The mo-town group, below, that we listened to on our second night was outstanding.  I must say though, that watching ladies (not Dianne or Pam) line dancing to the motown music was unique.  I wonder what the band members thought?

Did I mention that all of this entertainment was during happy hour?  The half-priced red wine that I bought for Dianne was poured from a bottle into a beer cup.  My jaw dropped when I saw that lady pouring a half-bottle of wine into that large cup.  Dianne was gobsmacked when I brought it to her :-).

The Last Golf Cart Ride...

On the last day, four of Dick's friends treated us to an expansive tour.  Dianne and I rode with Mitch and Deb.  Mitch was the tour leader extraordinaire.  He was a fraternity brother of Dick's at Purdue and a great guy.  Bruce and Veronica followed.  Bruce worked with Dick years ago.  We have known all of them for years.  Bruce and Veronica actually joined us on white-water rafting trips in West Virginia years ago.  Bruce drove the RV and we actually did return home safely :-).  

The Village People at lunch...

Bruce, Veronica, Mitch, Deb, Dick, Pam, and the back of Dianne's head

Everyone joined us back at Dick and Pam's house for dinner.  It was so much fun reuniting with old friends.

One Last Golf Cart....

Mitch rolled up before we left the next morning so that we could see his pride and joy.  His Streetrod is something else!

Top Up

Top Down

The End!

We are currently spending our last week in Florida visiting our daughter, Amanda, her boyfriend, Dave, and our granddaughter, Kaia.  Special times.  More on that later!