3/30/15 Last Blast in Florida Keys at Curry Hammock

John Watching Sunset over 7 Mile Bridge

Sunrise at Curry Hammock Beach

Debra's sister, Sherrie, joined us for our last blast of Florida weather this winter.  On the ocean side of Marathon, Curry Hammock State Park is another of our favorite campgrounds.  Small, quiet, private and on a white sandy beach.  Across the street is the bike path and the swimming and kayaking is wonderful.

Tiny Million Dollar Key West House

  It was fun touring Key West with Sherrie; swimming in the warm waters 90 miles from Cuba, having lunch at Salute's Beach Café, watching the roosters, chickens and chicks have the run of the place.  Chickens are a protected species in Key West although we didn't see the signs this year saying -  $500 fine if you run one over!!  

Sunset Grill Restaurant (see pool in background)


Back in Marathon, John and Sherrie's half-day fishing trip provided lots of small fish which grilled up nicely.  We had a fantastic sunset dinner beside the 7 Mile Bridge at the Sunset Grill.  While biking back from Pigeon Key Sherrie noticed a man on a nearby boat with a BIG fish on the line.  We stopped and saw a most incredible event.  After 20 minutes of the boat (and now a bridge full of spectators) following this fish around the bridge pilings, a 8 foot Tarpon jumped out of the water!  Now within 20 feet of the boat it jumps again and then is ATTACKED BY HAMMERHEAD SHARKS.  The attack went on for several minutes. Needless to say, like the Old Man And The Sea, this fisherman had little to bring home but a whale of a story. 

Sisters Bike Ride to Pigeon Key

It just keeps getting better!  There is always so much to do and see wherever  we go that we feel we're on vacation 24/7.  After 9 months of this pace we are pretty tired and find that we have to schedule days to do nothing.  Not a complaint mind you, just a point of fact :)

3/22/15 Space Coast Rocket Launch & Airshow at Manatee Hammock

Manatee Hammock Campground

It is only a short drive to the Space Coast where we settle into one of our favorite campgrounds, Manatee Hammock in Titusville, Florida.  Directly across from Cape Canaveral, we had a ringside seat for the night launch of  a NASA Atlas V rocket.  Its mission is to measure the earth's magnetospheric boundary regions and 

Atlas V Rocket, NASA Website

examine the process of magnetic reconnection. You got that? In the dark all we could see was a very bright light going up into the air, reflecting off the water, followed a few seconds later by the roar of the engines.  After about 2 minutes we saw the fuel boosters separate from the main module and then it was all black.  Very cool but would love to see one in daylight.

Jack and Zoe flew in and we went across the street to the Tyco War Bird Museum Air Show.  All kinds of aircraft displays from a Snoopy and Red Baron Dog Fight to jets and helicopters from Vietnam up through current day.  The highlight was the Air Force Thunderbird formation and acrobatic airshow.  It took our breath away.

Castillo de San Marcos Fort

We drove an hour up the coast for a trolley tour of old St. Augustine which was settled by the Spanish  in the early 1500's.  It is the oldest permanent European settlement in the U.S. and well worth a visit.  The current Castillo de San Marcos Fort is huge and extraordinarily well preserved, built in 1672.   Nine prior wooden forts were destroyed, but cannon balls bounce off these Coquina rock walls.  And what a view of the harbor!  We also attended a Celtic Festival in honor of St. Patrick's Day where we watched highland games and listened to Celtic music.  Zoe became enamored with a performance of a Persian style hammered dulcimer. 



Dark Bumps Are Manatee

Our favorite places to visit here are the  National Seashore, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and NASA's Kennedy Space Center.  In the refuge are miles of hiking, biking and kayaking with the manatee's. We saw lots of bird species, turtles, an armadillo, and a crocodile stalking and then eating his prey. The beaches at the shoreline are pristine and we had a blast boogy boarding in the big waves.  We didn't visit the Space Center this trip but have in the past and it is a must see.

Note Pre-Navy Beard

Of course John and Jack went to a baseball game and we had quiet times roasting marshmallows around the campfire.  Jack just received notice from the Navy that he is to report to Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island on 12 April.  So grateful the four of us were able to get together before Jack goes off to ports unknown.  Needless to say, we are very proud and very excited for Jack!

3/10/15 Plant City Strawberry Festival and Lake Harris

Strawberry Shortcake for Breakfast. Yes, Breakfast!

RV Friends told us about the Plant City Strawberry Festival and since we had no plans for early March (love it) we decided to check it out.  Plant City is the winter strawberry capital of the world and people from all over come to this massive festival of music and harvest. 

 The festival RV park was great as we could walk to the fairgrounds, but bad because the festival dumpsters were also close by drawing teams of dump trucks all night long!  There was a giant carnival midway and music on 4 stages day and night. We saw Loretta Lynn, Gary Lewis (from the Playboys), Gary Puckett (Union Gap) and the lead singers from 3 Dog Night and The Turtles. The performers and crowd were old (YIKES - our age and up) but we all had a blast rocking out to the oldies. 
 
We took in a couple of pre-season baseball games (the best kind according to Debra), visited friend Muriel H. from John's days at Sonalysts, and John's Aunt June, and cousin Kevin. 



Sunset Fisherman's Cove Campground

Judy and Bill at The Hideaway

Heading east, we landed at Fisherman's Cove RV Park in Tavaras to visit John's sister, Judy.  Not as packed as campgrounds in the Keys, we relished our quiet site on the golf course. The views on our walk around the lake were wonderful and we ate at an adorable lake front restaurant called The Hideaway.  Enjoying the light sweet smell of orange blossoms; we picked oranges, clementine's and longdons (like kumquats) on this aptly named section of the Orange Blossom Trail.   It was also delightful to meet up with Deb's cousin Terri and her family who live near Orlando.


Fresh Oranges

Early Morning on Lake Harris

  

How about this parked next to your boat house

3/3/2015 FOLLY-isms

We will continue to add to this list as Folly-isms  present themselves.

• Never pass up an opportunity to pee

•  At the end of a long day driving the RV; think twice and speak once because that witchy voice you hear may be your own

•  2 ply toilet paper is a luxury in a 1 ply RV world 

• Think about it – a different hairdresser every time you get a haircut – UGGHHHHHH 

•  My wife does all the driving – I just hold the wheel 

• Saw this on an RVer's Tee Shirt - took me a while to figure out it means how much room is in the RV:  

       6 – 4 – 2  
      6 for Cocktails, 4 for Dinner, 2 for Sleeping

•  When asked what is the best place you have been, "our best trip is yet to come" because there are dozens of best places! 

•  In Florida, Happy Hour and News starts at 4:00. 9 p.m. is like midnight as 80% of the winter population is over 65….. many are well over and we will be one of them some day

• Combobulated, though not a word yet, is now part of our daily vocabulary as we strive for graceful (emotional) organization (physical) through all our to-ing and fro-ing.

• "Aw Jeez" is a phrase we picked up in Nova Scotia which has come to embody the humor needed when things become dis-combobulated, which happens regularly

3/1/15 Deb's Solo Move Jolly Roger's to Grassy Key, Florida

John "Hemmingway" Hanley Pens the SSG History Epic

 A bit more moving around to find openings - we spend 9 days at Jolly Roger's and 10 days at Grassy Key which are at the east end of Marathon.  Of course they are packed but John does a great job shoe horning our rig between two trees on a nice shady site at Jolly Roger's. We had to put our truck mirrors in and people in surrounding campsites had to move boats, trucks and yard tchotchkes in order for us to maneuver.  Everyone has been in the same situation

so all are helpful and it's a great way meet  neighbors.  Campers who docked boats at the campground donated pounds of fresh fish for the Friday night fish fry. YUM.  The nightly blow from a conch shell marking sunset brings smiles and hoots from the crowd gathered for the magnificent show.  John works diligently on his project and flies to Washington for a workshop to present and gather more data.  At the DC airport on his way home John texts that it is 16 degrees, an improvement from when he arrived when it was only 6 degrees.  He says it is 8 below zero in Westerly RI (our future home) right now, oh my.  As I sweat in 85 degrees.

WHILE JOHN WAS GONE DEB HAD TO MOVE THE RV TO GRASSY KEY!  She has never packed up, moved, and set up all by herself so she was a bit nervous.  However, with a little help from the fellows next door, she hooked up the RV and off she went.  Thank goodness the new site at Grassy Key was a pull-through because she does NOT backup!  A true red letter day in her book.   This beautiful (expensive, $110 a nite), small

Grassy Key with our Winslow RV in Background

campground had a pool right across from our site, of which we took max advantage.  Fellow campers knocked on our door at 5 o'clock inviting us to join them at the Gulf side tiki hut for cocktails every night.  It is great to meet people from all walks of life from all over the country having fun!

 Kayaking and sunsets were great at these two Gulf side parks which are only half a mile apart.  They are close to  a 12 mile bike path connecting several islands which make up the town of Marathon.  While biking we  discovered a cute coffee shop on Colony Key called Leigh Ann's. Debra met up with friends Geri, Peggy and Diane for morning walks with Geri's dog Bandit, did Zumba (which Geri teaches - so cool), had a great house tour in Key West and we enjoyed many fresh fish dinners.  So grateful for wonderful friends Geri and Bill who have done much to make our travels work more smoothly from storing Deb's car in Newport to being our mailing address in the Keys, and much more. The "Hemmingway" photo above was taken at their  house.

Our new RV friends Diane and Fred invited us to join them and several of their family & friend  RVers at a private field overlooking 7 mile bridge for their annual rendezvous.  We all sat around sharing great food, a campfire, and RV stories. We picked up several great sayings that apply to our trip which I will add to a future "Folly-isms Page" in this blog.  

3/1/ 15 Grateful To Be In The Keys

 Coming to consciousness, my face inches from open windows,  I am so grateful to be here in the Keys.  Warm, moist salty air from the nearby ocean flutters over my eyelashes.

A tropical bird caw pierces the quiet hum of  palms blowing lightly in the breeze.  Small birds twitter.  Serenity is broken by barking of an unhappy sea lion at the nearby Dolphin Research Center. 
Her heart aches for family and freedom,  bringing this moment into reality.  Amazing and idyllic is not enough to escape all the pain in living. 

My eyes open to the early light of sunrise.  Peachy soft clouds suspended in  baby blue sky over the tops of fellow RV's awakening to share this bliss.  John stirs with the same recognition --- is this real?  

Pinch Me