Hello everyone. We are having great weather in Florida this year...even the Floridians are surprised. We are still parked in 7 Springs camp and enjoying it. I am pleased that there is also a big recycling area so my garbage to the dump is much much less.
Here are some details of the past couple of weeks:
Jan 9th we drove out to the beach at Howard Park which is out into the Gulf a little. This park is near Tarpon Springs. The day was sunny with light winds so we did fly kites and talked to people on the beach. I took pics so will try & get them up later.
Jan 11th we drove into Tampa Bay to a huge RV show billed as the biggest in the US. It was huge. The weather was stormy...lots of rain which made me think it would be good to view this type of show...not realizing that most of the exhibits were outside! We were dressed well and didn't get too wet. Good to talk to rvers from all over... and to look at some of the latest models. Lots of stories exchanged...lots of walking...and for me,many many rv bathrooms to check out!! A long long day but rewarding in many ways.
Jan 13th we ended up moving to a different site in the park for hook up reasons.We are on a lovely corner site. We also booked some future rv camps.
On Martin Luther King weekend, which is a holiday in the US, we watched football games...had a long chat with a couple that hikes local trails and watches birds. We have many things in common and they offered to show us some of the trails. We also got our mail with cards from Christmas and presents from the family...felt good to connect. We also cancelled a magazine (Zoomers) when I received an email from them saying that as I'd requested they were extending my payment for the magazine. I knew nothing of this and did not like this approach to get me to renew. So we phoned and canelled the magazine.
Jan 17th we drove to Orlando or rather Winter Park to view Cornell Fine Arts Museum which is on the Rollins College campus. Unfortunately the Museum was closed for viewing but we did get some info from them...the staff were so helpful when we mentioned that nothing was posted on their site about being closed before we drove over.This Museum did look wonderful and we do hope to return to view the exhibits. We did ask what might be another art gallery to visit in the area and they mentioned the Morse Museum which houses a huge Tiffany collection. So we went there and really enjoyed the exhibits. We also explored the community of Winter Park which was lovely. Bought a fab jacket at a shop called Wearable Art http://www.wearableart-sl.com/ .
Jan 19th we went hiking and birding with the couple we met at this rv park. They know the local trails and bird spots so well.The weather was beautiful...making strolling the shoreline so enjoyable. I fell in love with one shorebird!!! We are a match! He is called a Black Skimmer and he has a very dramatic face...mask -like to me. His unique beak is bright red with a black tip but the lower beak is about 1/3 longer than the upper beak. Thus perfect for skimming along the surface of water for food. When I looked him up in the Simthsonian Birds of N. America I fell in love all over again. He is described as crepuscular (meaning active at dawn & dusk) and partially nocturnal,,,BUT "Spends much of day loafing on beaches." My Mascot! I enjoyed watching them on the beach...loafing about. We lunched at Anclote Gulf Park and enjoyed sharing the air with our new friends. Their knowledge of the area added so much richness to the bird watching.
Jan 20th we drove to St. Petersburg to visit the Dali Museum. This is a gorgeous building right at the harbour. We spent all day there...so much to see. When we used our new North American pass we were treated as members. At one painting "Gala Contemplating the Mediterrean Sea" or 'Dali's Lincoln' a security guard approached us after we viewed it and were about to walk away. He talked about the painting and our interest and then asked me if I had sunglasses! I brought them out of my purse and he held them up and showed me the reflection of the painting in them. Wow...we could clearly see the portrait of Lincoln in the reflection!! Another painting I liked is called " Still Life - Fast Moving"...so much detail ..so many various techniques done with such humour. We lunched at the cafe...excellent food. We also enjoyed a student exhibit in one gallery that was about surrealism...some exciting work from the students.A long, lovely day.
Jan 21st our daughter in Asia sent us an itinerary for her vacation so we can follow her trip on a map. We rested and did some domestic tasks.
Today the 22 we slept in, washed the sides of the rv, researched art galleries and museums. It became so hot this morning that we have turned on the air conditioner. Hah opening a cupboard that I haven't looked at in weeks...everything in it seems new!
The weather has been so summery. There are Ibis groups walking about the sites and a pair of Sandhill Cranes as well as the Anhinga! A pair of nesting Osprey fly over often.
Yes life is very good.
Wishing everyone a Happy Chinese New Year!
Sunshine & Laughter
Anne
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