Florida Recap (Really)

Here are just some of the highlights from our Florida trip:




Warm weather and breezes when it was getting cold everywhere else.

Kayaking with the dolphin and Manatee at Mosquito Lagoon.

Everything about the Florida Keys.

Gwen learning to snorkel.

Many wonderful meals at Nonno and Nonna's.

Aunt Betty's hospitality.

Zoo and lunch with Poppi and Grandma Susu.

Watching the meteor shower with Aunt Betty.

Gwen learning to swim with Nonno and in Aunt Betty's pool.

Phillip and Gwen meeting their cousins Aidan and Bryce.

Sid and Gwen and Phillip playing in the pool.

Visiting West Florida beaches for the first time.

Christmas with Nonno and Nonna and Aunt Betty.

Swimming in the fresh water springs at Rainbow Springs and Manatee Springs.

Shell hunting throughout the West coast and Florida panhandle.

The Florida State Park System.

St. Joseph's Peninsula State Park.

The crystal clear water and white sands at Panama City Beach and Seaside.

Alabama to Mississippi

Hello,

Gliding along coastal Alabama and Mississippi.  Beaches are still pretty here though we ran into some cooler weather.  I guess we have to put on some light jackets now for the beach.  The line of bad weather that came through, did not effect us.  We just got a bit of rain.

Florida Recap or Uhm What Should I Write About?

Titles considered for this blog post:

Florida Nirvana

Shells, Shells Everywhere!!

Paradise Found

A Squirrel Ate My Sneaker

Why is My Hair So Puffy?

It's Snowing in Connecticut, Really?

The Towels Are Still Damp.

How Come The RV Got Smaller?

RV Daycare

Doing Laundry in Paradise

Finally Catching Up with The Larry Sanders Show

I Wish I'd Brought the Drill

Wish We Could Be in the Keys One More Time

Adieu Florida..........

Keys Remembered

Here is a blog post from the Keys I couldn't upload  till now.

 December 17, 2012

The Manatees and Dolphin of Canaveral National Seashore seem a distant memory.  We are in the Keys now after several weeks of family time in South Florida.  My parents, brother and aunt all live in Boca Raton and Highland Beach.    We’ve had many family dinners and my nephews even visited from Virginia and met Gwen and Phillip.  Neal’s stepfather Sid, and his wife, host us for a few days and my Aunt Betty hosts us for more. We love spending time with them.

We leave the beaches of Palm Beach county and head west to Lake Okeechobee where we spent a day and a night.  Though I grew up in this area, and the Lake is so close, I’d only driven past it once or twice.  This time we were at a Palm Beach County Park right next to it.  A large dike surrounds the entire lake - built and heightened several times after repeated hurricanes caused flood surges that killed thousands in the 20s and 30s.  It’s called the Herbert Hoover Dike after his visit and a final effort to build to a height that would protect nearby towns from storm serge.   It is no deeper than 13 feet and “caught fire” once recently when draught left organic matter bare in some parts of the lake. 

Finally after all these years I see the lake for the first time.  Up go Phil, Gwen and I to the top of the dike.  Down below there is a busy boat ramp and bicyclists tearing around the trail at the top of the dike and recklessly speeding down it’s side. I look down and don’t see a lake but a marshy area filled with bird life, looking more like the Glades than a lake. Checking a map a realize I’d have to access a different part of the lake to see an expanse.

Next day off we go South down Rt 27 - the middle of the state.  We pass miles of sugar cane farms.  Some burn in the distance.  Eventually the road turns into everglades on our right and then small fruit and landscaping farms on both sides, their signs often written in Spanish.  We stop for cheap gas only 3.11. A thin dark man with a thin mustache is in an old car and wears a jaunty hat.  We’re near Miami now.

We arrive at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.  It’s warm and humid.  The park is thick with vegetation.  The noseeums come out to bite and we are tired. It was a bad afternoon that involved kids fighting over a bouncy ball, bouncy ball going into road side ditch at fruit stand, everyone hot and tired.  We are happy to go to bed.

Today we have big plans for kayaking and swimming.  We blow up our Kayak, put on our safety vests and off we go all four of us.  But the kayak is just too unsteady and though in a safe little lagoon, we decide on a different strategy.  I’m also paddling one way and Neal in another.  Not working. 

Instead, Gwen and Neal take the kayak around to the swimming area and I take the RV with Phil.  Once there we decide to snorkel and this turns into great fun.  Gwen takes to it immediately and is swimming around easily with mask and snorkel.  I rent a mask and snorkel.  We see crabs and several juvenile barracuda. Neal and I haven’t snorkeled  since St. Lucia.  Phil is reluctant about the water but we walk around the shallow rocks looking for crabs and fish.  I see a pink flamingo flying over head.

Later, Gwen and I go into the water again to snorkel.  This time there are two older couples snorkeling already.  They point out a blue crab below, pincers up pushing off the rocks.  Gwen says excitedly, “Did you see it mommy?”  One of the men says, “Do you want to see more fish?”  Gwen says “yes” and I say “yes” and he says, “hold on to my fin!”  Gwen holds on and we all go swimming off to the buoy a bit further out.  (Don’t worry, Gwen has her safety vest on).  There we see a fluorescent blue parrot fish, many schooling grunts and other uni reef fish. One of the women points us to another group of fish. They are attracted by the buoy and the anchor and cannons below, placed there as an “artificial reef.”  The older man asks if we are alright and  “do you want to see more fish?”  Gwen says yes and I say yes and the crew of us all go off to an area closer to shore but for some reason deeper and darker. So fast, they all have diving fins.  I can’t see the bottom.  Gwen is now holding on tight to the gentle snorkeler.  It feels a bit magical.  I’m a little scared of the dark water, it’s mysterious (and I’m a wimp) this intensifies the magical feeling. Gwen is gleefully riding along as if she’s found a dolphin friend.  We come to a school of jacks,  swimming tightly together, shifting in and out of the darkness.  “Do you see Mom?” the man asks me, “Yes!” “Gwen do you see?” I ask,   “Yes!” “Aren’t you afraid there is some larger predator fish following the Jacks?” I ask the man. “No” he says, “they’re not interested in us.”  We all go into shore, it’s so close by.  “Thank you so much for the tour!”  I say as the man comes out the water taking off his mask and picking up his cane.  He turns to his wife as she is coming out, “you alright?”

I’ll hate to leave this place tomorrow - but we are off to another state park and our experience is that the Florida state park system is fantastic.  So we are expecting more good experiences there.

Photo Gallery, Florida

A Photo Gallery of Our Florida Trip

Phillip climbing at John Pennekamp State Park, Florida Keys

Gwen snorkeling at John Pennekamp State Park, Florida Keys

Gwen and Neal snorkeling at John Pennekamp

Gwen at Long Key.  I'm taking the picture from our RV

Phillip at the Beach, Bahia Honda State Park, Florida Keys

Gwen ready to snorkel at Bahia Honda

Expert snorkler

Back to Boca for Christmas

Christmas Day Presents

Myakka State Park: Wading birds and alligators in the river.

A big one up close, Myakka

Boat trip at Myakka

Canopy walk, Myakka

DeSoto Beach near Sarasota

Manatee State Park, fresh water spring swim

St. George State Park,  Florida Panhandle

Amazing Florida

              The long blog draught is over!   We have been traveling around Florida for almost 3 months but weren't posting because we had limited access to wifi.  First we were visiting with relatives and then we stayed in Florida State Parks that don't carry wifi.  And posting from little phones is no fun.  We had a great time mostly because we were able to see people we love and Florida is a very very beautiful state. I grew up in Florida and associate with heat, humidity, traffic, and crowds.  From the view point of the RV, its quite different.  Here are some highlights:

• Spending Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family.

• Spending time with Neal's family.

• The Florida state park system.

• Beaches, sand, shells, wildlife, wading birds, fresh water springs, sunsets, oceans, and warm breezes.

We have had a great time and are sorry to leave!