Big Cypress Natl. Preserve canoe trip

We signed up for a 5 hour canoe trip up and down the Turner River in the Big Cypress.  Beautiful day around 80 degrees.  Saw all kinds of birds and alligators.  A big challenge was going through the mangrove tunnels, I had to sit on the bottom of the canoe for my head to clear limbs, Nita leaned backwards on her seat and about overturned us several times.  It was so confining in the tunnels you couldn't use the paddles, just grabbed the mangrove roots and limbs and pulled the canoe through.  After 2 1/2 hours we made a swampy stop shown, men went right and women left for some relief, not any cover, a quick glance to the right revieled a lot of white butts in the swamp.  A great trip even if a little ambitious for 2 old farts, Nita moaned and groaned all the way home.

This morning we left Collier-Seminole and said goodbye to our friends Mick and Doris Faye.  We are on our way to a Corp of Engineers park on a canal that controlls the flow from Lake Okechobee called Ortona South.

Biker bar with friends

We have had a great time with Captain Mick and Doris Faye.  They travel in a View like ours.  Mick and I were in Korea about the same time and we recalled some our experiences there, even sang one of the popular Jananese songs that was popular then, in GI slang it was called "She ain't got no yo-yo".  Mick is a retired charter boat captian in the Keys.  They both make items for craft shows, belts, hats, etc., all beautiful items.  See the rattlesnake belt below.  We have met at each others campsite every evening for refreshments, last night Doris fried hush puppies, make crached conch and fresh sea trout they just caught, great.

We meet a lot of nice people

We left the Naples area Sunday and are now at Collier-Seminole a few miles from Marco Island.  At the last park we enjoy spending some time with George and Reba Brooks, they have a large 5th wheel trailer and he carries a lot of wood and supplies with him to make many varieties of birds, a real craftsman.  At our present park have enjoyed a Canadian couple with a View and a charter boat captian and his wife from NC, had some wine with them last night and they are joining us tonight for some. They carry 3 cases of wine they buy from Trader Joes, tonight they will be treated with a great box wine, we can't live like savages. We are on Marco Island at this time, will explore it and head back to the park in the afternoon.  Enjoying the warm weather, Nita is on her 2nd book. 

Pic is George and Nita

Charles Ringling museum, home, and gallery

The Ringling Museun in Sarasota is great.  He made a fortune in his circus business.  His home is Venician style on the Sarasota bay.  Another building is a huge art gallery housing all the art he collected.  Two more large museums house circus items and miniature circus models.  Ringling willed the estate and gallery to the state of Florida. We started at 2pm yesterday and it closes at 5, could have used another 2 hours, don't miss it if your are in the area.

Pics, large model of typical circus set up, next 3 his home, outside art, must have been a bad girl.

Chocolate, vanilla and sauces

Well, the icecream social Wed. night was a big hit, think most of the campground was there.  First you get a big bowl of ice cream with toppings, then you sit down and are entertained by Karl and Betty Ross who play and sing tunes from the civil war times to a little later.  Many tunes you know and sing along, Karl passes out clackers, rattlers, etc.so you can participate.  This becomes a challenge holding a bowl of ice cream, shaking your clacker, then when the song is over you have to clap, in addition I take pictures, get the picture.  The Ross's were great, you didn't want them to quit.  The volunteers at this park do a remarkable job entertaining and helping folks.

Yesterday morning was the pancake sausage breadfast, also great with a big turnout.  Then in the afternoon a jam session was held by the local musicians, harmonicas, jews harps, fiddles, banjos, etc.  No wonder it is almost impossible to get a reservation in this park

My honey and the honeybells plus a scrub walk

Oscar-Scherer is a great park with lots of activities.  This morning we got up too late for the exercise program and a guided ranger canoe trip, but tonight we won't miss the band with an icecream social.  Tomorrow morning is a pancake breakfast at the Nature center, all within walking distance from our campsite.  However we did do a scrub hike in search of the Scrub Jay, looks someting like a blue jay but a little smaller, also found an armadillo looking for grubs and some sandhill cranes flying overhead.  Honeybell oranges are only available in Jan. and are  juicy and sweet, not sure I've seen them for sale up home.

Pics, scrub jay, armadillo, honey reading and displaying honeybells.

Blue sky and white legs

We arrived arrived at Oscar-Scherer on Sat. The next day we met 3 other couples, friends we have met at past View rallys, had lunch at Sharkey's on Venice beach, looked for sharks teeth on the beach and toured a flea market.  We will probably cross paths with them again as all of us roam around the state.  You can tell a northener in Fl as they all have white legs, maybe I'll blend in in a few weeks.  Pics, Nita, Roxann and Mike on the Venice beach and our O-S campsite, right behind our View is a stream where you can canoe.

Off to Florida Jan.13th

We departed MD last Wed. in our little motorhome.  It was cold, first nights stop was Florence, NC where it got down to 22 towards morning.  The next day we drove to Silver River state park near Ocala, FL.  Sat. morning we visited Joyce and Kent Burgess in their home in the Villages.  We have really missed them since they decided to move permanetly to Fl.  They served us a gormet breakfast and we played several games of Spinner (special dominos) before we departed to Oscar-Scherer state park in Venice.

Pic., Nita on the porch of a Flordia Cracker home, in the Silver River st. pk.