FLORIDA 2019: Part 2 Gotta Love the Camping Life

Day 12!  Heading west to LaBelle, about 40 minutes from Fort Meyers, we set up our mini RV van at the same RV park where our friends,  the Meyers and Chapmans,  have been spending the past few winter months...however, neither were there!! But God took good care of us, as we were welcomed by friends and family of those 2 couples (they treated us to Dairy Q and to a spaghetti dinner!)  We mostly vegged, taking walks and bike rides into town, and enjoyed the hot tub while resting.  Did I say that our main focus this trip was to rest and be "inactive" !!  God taught me a huge lesson in this place.  We literally did not know where our next camping location was to be after this particular week, so the planner in me kicked into high gear; trying to figure it out.  After making several calls and realizing that what Marilyn Meyers said was absolutely true ("you may have a hard time finding sites as March is a terribly busy month in FL"). I could feel my heart getting stressed and wondered why Bill wasn't helping or worrying(!!). I finally looked at Bill and said "what if we head into this next phase of our trip like Abraham, who did not know where he was going when God sent him to Canaan.  He simply relied on Him for daily provisions (just as the Israelites did later)...so we literally began to just take a day at a time, knowing that if a campsite did not turn up, we would land at a Cracker Barrel or simply boondock somewhere (luckily we had this option because the FL weather is perfect right now for sleeping without the need for air or heat).  This plan has worked out perfectly and has relieved me from feeling the "planning pressure".  We did have a lovely day at Sanibel Island:  breakfasting, biking 10 miles, beaching a bit, and resting!!

  

 

  




Day 19:  We headed north to Palmetto as we found a 3 night camping stay, and we wanted to spend some time near the Gulf, and we wanted to see our friends, the Mieuwsens! They recommended a great spot to bike, hike and watch the sunset...a very lovely day!  From there, we had just one night stays at a variety of campgrounds...some outstanding and some mediocre!  We did get to hook up with our friends the Bytwerks who were staying nearby for a week.  Always love our conversations about life and what God is doing with us!

 

 

 

 



We headed into central FL for a Tiger game, stopped for a few hours in Webster FL for their very LARGE Flea Market --then landed in Orlando for a 3 night stay at our timeshare resort.  We have so enjoyed the change-up from resort life, to camping, then back to resort. We like the flexibility and the change of scenery and activities that this trip has brought. In the midst of it all, Bill has taken several opportunities to find the RV lounges and keep up with March Madness, and our first pick...the Sparties of Michigan State!

 

 

 



I must say that one of the highlights of our time in Orlando was the celebration of my birthday.  I think it is true that as we age, we lose some of our inhibitions and fears of what others think!! We joined a group from our timeshare and ate together at a Greek restaurant, which turned into quite an event.  The pictures will tell the story!!  A very delightful, full of belly laughter (and belly dancing) kind of an evening! (the white "snow" is napkins being tossed in the air, yelling OPA). I felt a bit like Jesus must have at the wedding in Cana, a cultural feast of traditions and food!

 

 

 

  


PS - JUST PREVIEWED THIS AND LOOKS LIKE A FEW PICS DUPLICATED...AND I CANT SEEM TO CORRECT IT, SORRY!

FLORIDA 2019: Part I, 8 days in Paradise

Trying to re-create from pictures of 2 weeks ago may be tough!!  We have been enjoying our lazy, carefree days!
We departed MI on March 1st, with a quick overnight with the Tegelaars the first night; then an ice cream break with our friends, the Howards (who were also heading to FL) just outside Atlanta, then a quick overnight at Osceola National Forest near Jacksonville for a mere $6 (no electric); and finally a bargain free night at Vistana's Jensen Beach, near Port St. Lucie on the Atlantic Coast--where we had previously owned a timeshare. Bill used his great personal skills to gain approval to park & plug-in from a very nice maintenance supervisor!!  A great start to our trip!







Landing in Ft Lauderdale on March 4th, our package included a 2 nite stay at the Sheraton Cypress Creek, where we enjoyed the pool and near-by restaurants.  We were especially charmed by Sweet Tomatoes, for the reasons pictured below 😋.

 

 

Heading to the Port of Palm Beach on Wednesday, March 6 we boarded a smaller ship for an overnight cruise to Freeport Bahamas.  This was a "trial run" to see if a cruise would be in our future.  The verdict is still out as we ran into quite rough seas, possibly from crossing the Gulf stream?? The vertigo that ensued lasted several days---however it did not deter us from enjoying beach walks, a corn hole contest in which we ROCKED, and some local food spots.  These days enabled us to let down from our craziness of the past month, and to grieve and release some of my emotions from losing Dad at the end of February.  Thankful for the way God made our bodies to step up with adrenaline when needed, but then to gear down and experience rest.

 



 

 



 
  

After a more enjoyable ship return, we once again spent the last 2 nights of our package at the Sheraton and were ready to head to West Florida.