|
We have moved up the coast a ways after sitting for almost 2 and a half monthsJan 31, 2009
|
|
Lighthouse at Key Biscayne in Bill Boggs State Park at the southern...
After walking to the top of the lighthouse I was able to...
A wedding being held on the beach as I looked north towards...
| It is about time we updated our travels, or lack of, for the past two months. We spent Christmas and New Years parked at the campground in Miami. We met some great new friends while parked in pod 1. We met a couple from West Virgina. Tom and Carolyn were parked near us and we were able to do a few things with them. Lots of fun and great folks to spend time with. They have a great dog named Lucky. We were able to visit the Everglades a couple of times with them. Once to Shark Valley and the tram ride and then once again to a Nike Missle site deep in the Everglades that is now inactive but Tom served there during the late 60's as the Chaplin for a number of Nike Missle units in the area. Tom retired as a LTC in the Chaplin Corps from the Army after 27 years. Cyn and Carolyn shared many tales about knitting. Carolyn carriers a spinning wheel in the motorhome and she gave us a demonstration of the process on making yarn. Hope Cynthia doesn't pick up another hobby because we are running out of space. Carolyn showed Cyn how to get started on knitting socks. Anyone want some socks? We met another couple from New Jersey, Vinnie and Fran. They were parked right next to us and were also a great couple who we hope to see again. Vinnie is in to photography so Mike and Vinnie spent some time sharing photos of their trips to the zoo. Vinnie and Fran were always busy visiting so many things around the area it was tough to keep track of them. Hard to believe they are 10 years older than us. Really nice people that we hope to see again. Another couple, Darl and Paula, who are from Michigan and we met late in the stay there but we have lots in common. Cyn and Paula are both registered nurses and Darl and Mike both like photography. Mike was able to go for a walk into the Everglades with Tom, Darl, and Paula and another person. It was a great experience. We had a guide who took us out into the Everglades for a two hour stroll. It was called a slough slog by the people at the visitor center. We parked along side the road deep inside the Everglades and left the roadside and immediately got wet and stayed that way for almost two hours. We waded through the Everglades and learned a lot. We sometimes were wading in water up to our knees or a bit higher. No, we didn't encounter any snakes or alligators. It was really a fascinating walk. Darl and Paula lived just above Point Roberts in Tswwassen, British Columbia for a period of time years ago. We hope to run across them again in our travels. Rich and Betty from Indiana were also in the pod and we were able to have a great Italian dinner with them on our last night in Miami. I had to write the name of the restaurant down, Kaliapy's, because when we return we will be having another dinner or two there. Betty has a brother in the area so he had taken them there in the past. They too, are traveling with a pet, Cody (spelling?). Great dog. There we so many people in the pod that we met and chatted with almost daily. Bob and Paula from Tennessee, Rod and Barb from Massachusetts, and fellow cat lovers Roger and Virgina from North Carolina. All in all the folks we met in the two and half months were great people and one of the reasons we love this lifestyle. You meet the nicest folks. We were able to visit the Everglades a number of times and if we get back again, Mike is going to spend a lot more time visiting this National Park. Lots to see and do and learn. We visited the Zoo a few times and got to meet some of the creatures up close and personal. We took plenty of walks along the beaches in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Cyn liked the warmer weather but it usually got somewhat cloudy in the afternoons, which she didn't like. In Fort Lauderdale we took a little waterways cruise that took us down canals in the Venice of the the United States. Starter homes in the area go for about a million and a half dollars each. The skipper of the cruise was loaded with little tidbits of information about the rich and famous who owned the homes. Wayne Huzinga, owner of the Miami Dolphins football team, has a couple of homes and many of his family also live along the canals. Lee Majors of Six Million Dollar Man fame has a home there along with many others. Still like the view of the Puget Sound better. We really enjoyed the time there and hope to return there again in the future. Can't say enough how nice the folks we met in the campground were. Great people. On our last night in Miami as we were doing the laundry at the laundry room, Cyn spotted a cute little stray cat. After resisting for two and a half months, it might have been too much for her. We had to have Buffalo put to sleep in November while we were in Branson and that left a hole in our traveling family. It was very difficult to say goodbye to him. This little kitten, about 6 months old, got her to feed it, and it polished off a whole can of cat food in 10 minutes. As I folded the laundry, the kitten rested on Cyns lap and purred so loud I could hear it across the room. I told her she had to leave it, so she put it down and of course as fate would have it she followed us back to the motorhome. I told Cyn that if she hung around overnight and was there in the morning then we could talk. Of course it stayed in the cat cage outside the motorhome waiting for the door to open and get some more food. We now have a new member of the family it appears. The pictures at the end of the photos show just how she is adapting to life in the motorhome. The dogs don't seem to be the slightest bit concerned but Ginger is going to be another story. We will see as the story goes. |
Advertisement 
|
