In Naples, FL - 7 Jan 2015

It is hard to believe it was only 12 days ago that we left Ottawa...without snow and an Xmas tree still standing decorated in the living room...but here we are, back in our second home in Naples. It has been a bit of a frustration in getting settled but all things happen in due course and I think we are finally feeling some calm coming back.

We left on Dec 27, which is a bit early for us but we really wanted to get on the road before snow or any other weather kept us from leaving. I managed to get a bit of Xmas stuff put away (I hardly decorated at all this year), a lot of laundry done, and made the hard (for me) decision to leave the fully decorated tree standing in the living room. I've now decided to leave it up all year...it will be a conversation piece and save me an endless amount of work this winter.

Because the weather was so good, we elected to cross at the Thousand Island bridge and head south until we could hook up with I-95 which would take us straight down to Florida. Our first night was in Wilkes-Barre, PA; the second in Petersburg, VA; the third in Savannah, GA; and the fourth in Sarasota, FL. We could have driven through to Napes of the fourth night but were so tired and it was pouring rain so opted for a good night's sleep and it was a good choice.

The traffic on I-95 was insane! From Washington right through to Florida there was endless traffic and we would speed along for some distance and then come to a screaming halt and crawl along for 1-2 hours. We really need to find an alternate route next year that will keep us off that Interstate as much as possible. It is the main highway South so used by truck, snowbirds, and all other travellers heading South.

Of course, I was sick again. I started to cough the day we left and I hacked and hacked until two days ago when it just stopped! I think the pneumonia shot I had last fall must have helped as I was waiting until after this past weekend before thinking about going to a clinic and when I got up Monday morning I had almost had a miraculous recovery! Whatever happened, I am grateful and today celebrated by going shopping!

Our condo has been a mixture of frustration and disappointment. I anticipated that we would not be getting anything like the spotless, modern rentals we have had in the past and I was correct. When we came in we realized that it was a little harder used than we'd remembered and while there was no smell, it was not anything close to clean. Without going through the whole process, we have now shampooed the carpets, bleached and scrubbed the bathrooms, wiped down nearly every surface and piece of furniture, covered the couches, and whatever dirt we are cleaning from this point on, is ours! I have to admit, we are quite comfortable and the wonderful heated pool and the familiarity with the neighbourhood have made up for our initial disappointment.

Part of our frustration was in realizing that we had no internet or cable service in the condo. If anyone thinks that not being on the grid isn't a big deal...think again! I'd left my address book and cell phone at home so couldn't even phone the kids to tell them we had arrived safely. We went to Comcast on Dec 31 and after a brief...really brief connection that immediately died...we got online today, Jan 7. Not having cable isn't a big deal......we aren't big tv watchers at home. I now realize that it's because we are each either on our separate laptops watching Netflix or FaceTiming, or doing a hundred other things via the internet. I left a phone message at Comcast yesterday that sort of went "This is Lynne Corkum. I want my internet NOW please. My grandchildren are starting to fret because I can't FaceTime with them and it will soon become unmanageable for their parents if we can't do a face-to-face sooner rather than later. Thank you." We get 3 channels on the television and that's enough. I have my computer!

We did get a few things done...we both got our cheap, throw-away cell phones, our membership at the Botanical Gardens, and our pass to the beach at Lover's Key. The fridge is full of food from Costco, we've already rented more movies via the Red Box for $1.59 that we've see in all of 2014 at home and we've been to Jimmy John's for their delicious sandwiches 3x (it's in our backyard so easy to get there). Tomorrow we are going to see the Manatees at the power dam and then off to the movies to see the last installment of the Hobbit. I bought the first two segments, which we have watched, and anxious to see the big battle ending. I saw my first Bentley today...I've decided to keep score this year. This one was magnificent and I'm more certain than ever that behind one of those tinted Bentley windows is Justin Timberlake! I will find him!

I don't think I'll blog every day...our lives just aren't that exciting and other than documenting for myself what we did, saw, and plan to do, I'm sure no-one else is interested anyway. Just in case though, love and hugs to everyone at home. I won't tell you that the weather here is unseasonable warm, the pool is almost too warm, our first lunch at the 5th Street Café was wonderful or the winter sales are in full swing (Xmas stuff here is 90% off!). xx