Florida Trip - Day 7 - 30 Jan 11

The day started off sunny and warm and we decided we would go to Manatee Park and get a close view of these gentle giants. During the winter months (Jan - Mar) they congregate at many of the Power Plant water discharge canals as the water remains around 68 degrees. At the Ft Myers plant, the non-captive manatee sanctuary provides a winter haven for these warm-blooded native mammals that live, feed and raise their young in the canal. A gate has been set up which allows them to swim out to the river to feed and then return to the warmer canal water. We learned that more than 400 Manatee died in this area last year due to extreme cold water tempertures.

There are 3 viewing areas in the park and one viewing spot is set up at a small inlet where we saw 16-18 bulls, cows and babies plus other huge ones gliding in and out through the gates to the river. The guide told us that because there is no food for them in the canal, they must often travel 8-10 miles searching for food and during the very cold weather, will go weeks without eating rather than risk freezing to death.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching them...they don't do anything but stick their snouts out of the water every 3-4 minutes to breath but some of them are so big it's amazing to see them glide with such ease. Conservationists worry that these Manatees have become too dependent on the 'man-made' warm water and would/will be in serious trouble if the plants have to close in the future for any reason. It was a bit sad to see that very few are without scars from boating accidents. Overall, it was an educational and interesting visit.

After another great lunch at Cracker Barrel (Wayne's addicted) we went to get whatever sun peaked through the clouds. Rather than going across the bridge to Sanibel, we pulled off the road to a small beach area and sat out and read for an hour or so. Getting to any beach is the area is a costly affair--the bridge over to Sanibel is $6 plus $2 hr for parking and Ft Myers is all about pay parking. However, we've decided that the next beach day will be a long-term affair, ie, go over in the morning and stay most of the day.

We move into the condo on Tues and it will be nice to unpack and get somewhat settled. We are trying not to spread ourselves around too much so that we don't have to jam stuff back into suitcases to go 10 miles.....but we will!

Until tomorrow, hugs and kisses to all.

Florida Trip - Day 6 - 29 Jan 11

Photo 1 - COMING TO A THEATRE NEAR YOU.....'The Tent That Ate My Hubby'

Photo 2 - Miles and piles of sea shells.

If you ever get to spend some time in Florida, make Sanibel Island a 'must see' on your trip. It's a shell seekers paradise and other than you only get to see people's rear ends or the tops of their heads ('cause they are all looking for that 'special' shell), its a beautiful spot.

The island is only a few miles from here and we decided we would just drive over and look around. There's not much to see except for hotels, resorts, and condos but a couple of hours on the beach is all that's remembered--especially on a warm, cloudless day like today! I suspect the entire island is made up of shells. There's a high water line on the beach which is about a foot higher than the sand along the shore and if you brush away the top layer you can see a foot of compacted shells in the process of being crushed and recrushed to sand. I'm not sure if it's the current that piles....and I mean PILES....all the shells on the beach but the professional shell pickers are there early to find the best and rarest of shells that come up on the beach every day. We had spent a day here the last trip to Florida but didn't get to spend much time just relaxing and looking that the gazillion shells on the beach...today we took some time to do that.

Tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer than today so we'll pack a lunch and spend the day at Sanibel. Given that it was Saturday, the beach was almost deserted...which is very nice. The breeze was a tad cool but we had to be careful as a real sunburn could happen when you don't feel the heat of the sun. Our little sun shade came in handy again and Wayne even had a nap inside...he loves falling asleep to the sound of the waves.

Until tomorrow, love and hugs to all.

Florida Trip - Day 5 - 28 Jan 11

Photo: At Lover's Key State Park. This is a protected area where the grasses hold the sand to prevent errosion. Ft Meyers Beach is to the right and is lined with anything and everything made of concrete. The sand is pure white and like icing sugar.

What started off to be a cool, cloudy day quickly turned into a warm, sunny, and quite fabulous day. There was a bit of a cool breeze but if you were sitting in a sheltered spot, it was hot.

We decided we would go to Ft Meyers Beach and see what it was like. Holy Busy Beach Resort Batman!! The beach is gorgeous….absolutely gorgeous but parking is impossible and it’s a 2-lane road that is jammed with cars by 11 am. However we drove across the bridge toward Bonita Springs and went to the State Park where we could walk and spend some time in the sun. It was wonderful! We met a young couple from Scotland with two little kids…Luke and Zoe…and laughed at their antics. Luke (3) just wanted to run through the flocks of sea birds trying to sleep and scatter them while little Zoe (2) tried to quietly sneak up on them so she could feed them. Nature or nurture?

After a wonderful lunch along one of the canals where we sat and watched the dolphins and the million dollar boats coming in and out, we drove over to Cape Coral and checked out our condo location. It’s much quieter there than the Ft Meyers area which is fine by me. We are one street back from the main road and our front yard is on a canal so I can see us sitting out there watching the boat traffic when we aren’t at the beach.

We made a quick stop at one of the many outlet malls and the newly opened Clearwater Creek store had a mega sale. Suffice to say that I shouldn’t have to do a wash for quite a while! There’s something about getting stuff at 75% off that just makes a girl feel good.

The cool weather Florida has been experiencing is supposed to be over by tomorrow so we may go back to Ft Meyer and be there early enough to park and be off the beach early as well. When we were coming back over the bridge at 2:30, the traffic was backed up for a mile or more trying to get into the beach area. This place would be hell at March Break!

Till tomorrow, love and hugs to all. I keep looking at the photo of my little darlings and wondering how they will have grown by the time we get home. Xx

PS - Carol says Thomas Edison had property around Ft Meyers. I ask: Carl - how do you know these things?

Florida Trip - Day 4 - 27 Jan 11

Ah, the sun...the beautiful sun! We woke up this morning and it was beautiful--even if it was only 39 degrees. By the time we'd been on the road for an hour, the heater was permanently turned off and sunglasses were the order of the day.

We made reservations in Ft Myers at the Candlewood Suites for 5 nights as we don't move into the condo until 1 Feb. It's a nice, compact little suite with a separate bedroom and combined living room/kitchen so it will be nice to be able to have a cuppa while still in my pajamas instead of being compelled to brush my hair before going down to the hotel breakfast area. Perhaps my clothes will be a little more loose now that I'm not scarfing down waffles & eggs every morning as well! Wayne got excited when he saw the size of the gym downstairs so he'll have something to keep him busy while I get that couple of extra hours of sleep in the morning.

We've decided that our new favourite restaurant in the States is Cracker Barrel...food tastes just like homemade, not too big helpings, and very reasonable. Food.....there I go again!!

Other than a trip to the grocery store for staples, we haven't seen much of the area yet but will spend the next few days looking around. Ft Myers is certainly not a sleepy little town--lots of traffic--and would take some time to find your way around (Translation: finding the best shopping areas!). I think Cape Coral is also a fair sized city but we'll see in the next few days. Ft Myers beach is supposed to be quite spectacular and it's just down the road from where we are staying. Hopefully, the blog will include some photos tomorrow.

Until tomorrow....keep that touque down over your ears!

Florida Trip - Day 3 - 26 Jan 11

We have eaten our way through North and South Carolina and Georgia. Both Wayne and I are hoping that these tape worms we each seem to have acquired are now satisfied and will leave us alone. It started yesterday when we found a Ponderosa Restaurant and continued to last night when the Texas Steak House had a big special…2 steak dinners for $20. No wonder the Americans have an obesity issue….the buffet at Shoney’s is $6.49—cheaper than a burger combo at McDonald’s!

Once we got to Georgia, the rainy/cloudy weather perked up and the sun came out which made for a much nicer drive. The 3-lane highway also helped as we weren’t as hemmed in by the thousands of 18-wheelers that are on the road. We pulled into the Best Western in Jacksonville, Florida at 5 pm so made our goal for the day.

The sky is blue, not a cloud to be seen although the temperature is still about 55 degrees…too cool for shorts yet but definitely warm enough that we can peel off a layer or two of the clothes we’ve been wearing. Up until yesterday I still had boots and gloves on even in the car. There’s a lot to be said for the mental spike that happens when you have to turn the heater off and open the vent for fresh air.

I’ll be glad to get to our destination and hopefully not feel the need to get back in the car—at least for a few days. Yes, I’m missing the LuvMachine but the PrayerMobile is doing just fine. I’m anxious to start taking some pictures and there are lots of wildlife/nature preserves in the Cape Coral area.

Until tomorrow, hugs and kisses to all who are following us on our trip.

Florida Trip - Day 2 - 25 Jan 11

We breezed through Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia and spending the night in Smithfield, North Carolina. Now, it wasn’t planned, and I honestly didn’t know it but the hotel I chose is RIGHT NEXT TO AN OUTLET MALL!!! It was a quick check-in, drop-off and head over to do some looking and of course, a bit of shopping. Wayne found me in the Carter’s Outlet and said if I was there more than 15 minutes, he was calling for security! I have to admit I was a bit tired and we didn’t do any major shopping but did spend enough time for him to leave Bass Outlet with 4….count ‘em….4 pairs of shoes! I love it when he gives me enough fodder to last for at least a year.

Even though it is winter in Virginia, it is still one of the most beautiful States we been to. I’m always amazed at the miles and miles of manicured fencing to hold all those gorgeous horses. There were many Kodak moments….a big red fox, bluebirds, abandoned barns/houses, scenic rivers and streams…but stopping on the Interstate isn’t possible so it’s all pictures in my mind instead of on my camera.

The weather was still really cold when we left this morning but there is a subtle warming that I can feel in my arthritic bones (or just in my mind). The Interstate is boring as hell and the only thing that keeps me occupied is reading the hundreds of huge billboards that are still used in the USA. They are a bit of a microscopic view of American culture I think as it’s all about the ‘biggest buffets’, the ‘biggest gun shops’, or the ‘We dare to bare’ adverts for strip clubs/gentlemen’s clubs.

By the time we got to the North Carolina border there was no snow to be seen and we are starting to notice lots of leaves still on the trees. Our goal is to hit the Florida border tomorrow and be in Cape Coral by Thursday.

Until then, hugs and kisses to all.

Florida Trip-Day 1-24 Jan 11

Our Snowbird adventure is late starting this year but we got on the road about 9:45 am and pulled into the Best Western in Harrisburg, PA about 6:30 pm. It's almost...almost as cold here as it was in Ottawa and I can't wait to feel the warm sun on my skin.

We drove about 1 1/2 hours longer than we normally would but the weather report says snow, rain and cloudy weather is about all we will see for the next few days so we wanted to get as many miles in as possible today. However, we paid for trying to find a hotel when it was dark as I'm sure we drove about an hour longer than necessary simply because we were tired and the GPS was wonky--leading us on a merry, round-about route for a hotel.

There is more snow than we are used to seeing this far South. It was clear that NY State had a recent storm as the trees were really laden with big puffs of snow on the branches. If you scrinched up your eyes, the trees looked like giant pussy willows.

We think it will be a 4-day drive to Cape Coral--neither of us are 12-hour drivers so there was never any question of us trying to get their in the shortest time possible. Although the weather isn't ideal, this is also part of the holiday and I'd just as soon not arrive there exhausted and bleery-eyed from non-stop driving.