Tag: Travel

Posted in weekendcoffeeshare

#weekendcoffeeshare – 01/28/2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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Hello everyone! If we were having coffee today, it would be at a coffee shop since I am away from home. We can have fun in the coffee shop nearby!

I hope everyone has been well and that your writing muse is with you. I’ve been traveling, so my writing muse has been absent recently. I haven’t had ready access to Wifi which has also hurt me since I’m so used to writing while I’m online. I do that so I can readily do research when necessary.

If we were having coffee today, I would tell you how much I’m enjoying the weather here in Florida. I’m used to snow and cold at this time of year. Instead, it’s in the 70s and beautiful. We’re having a little cool spell right now, but nothing compared to what my friends in Kentucky are having. We love where we are staying. It’s a special place along the South Florida Gulf Coast.

Big news. We eventually want to buy a house here and move away from the cold. It will take awhile to find what we want. So, as a temporary measure, we have bought a little vacation home on this island we love so much. It’s tiny and temporary…..though we don’t know how long temporary will be. Could be a year or more as property here is so desirable. It will do until we can move permanently.

We haven’t been sightseeing as much as usual. I’m just enjoying being here. Living here for a few weeks. I’m trying to see some things I’ve never seen before. I’m also trying to spend time in the little village nearby.

I’ve been writing a blog series on our adventures driving an RV to South Florida. If you’re interested, you can find the series under Blog Series on my site. I’ve done a little writing besides that series but not as much as usual.

I’m happy to write another #weekendcoffee share. It’s been awhile since I’ve talked with all of you! I hope you are well and happy and prolific. More from here next week.

Posted in Blog Series, Uncategorized

#15: Adventures in RV Travel – January 27, 2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Bob, the Wood Stork

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@Rosemary Carlson 2017

This is Bob. Bob is a wood stork and a part-time resident of Pine Island RV Resort Park in Florida. Wood storks are endangered in the U.S. Their population is more stable in South America. I was able to get such a good shot of Bob because Bob is sort of the Park Pet. He is perhaps the best fed wood stork around, although wood storks live in colonies and make up to people. He likes the park visitors. We feed him fish (they like minnows) and hot dogs. I have known Bob as long as I’ve been going to Pine Island – a long time now. We’re all very fond of him. He even knows his name!

Wood storks are very large. You don’t feed them out of your hand. Look at their beak! They can remove your hand easily. You drop their food on the ground. In the wild, they feed on fish in shallow water. Florida’s dry winters suit them as ponds, creeks, and lakes dry up and make fishing easy for them. Winter in Florida is also their breeding season.

Wood storks nest in large flocks. They used to nest in the trees all around Pine Island. They don’t anymore. They live to be up to 18 years old. We think Bob is starting to get older. You won’t see many wood storks. If you are lucky enough to see one, please be good to he/she and appreciate them. Thank you.

 

Posted in Blog Series, Uncategorized

#14: Adventures in RV Travel – January 27, 2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

 

Birds of South Florida

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Good news, dear readers! Wifi in the RV Park in which we are staying is now fixed! Someone (workers) UNPLUGGED IT?????? Above is a very special photo. This is a picture of an osprey nest high above the streets of Ft. Myers, FL. There are many of them at this time of year.

The picture above is that of various birds of South Florida. A stork on the left. An egret on the bottom right in the Everglades. A pelican on the top right.

The picture above are of two unidentified birds in the Everglades.

Posted in Uncategorized

#13: Adventures in RV Travel: January 26

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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WiFi and Ft. Myers Beach

Hello everyone! First, let me apologize. I forgot to tell you another problem you may have as you are RV’ing. The use of WiFi. Maybe I should say the lack of use of WiFi which is what I have been suffering from the last few days. I’ve been going through withdrawal! I have also worried about not updating my RV travels for you. Fortunately, WiFi is back…..for now. I hope I can get this blog post written before it takes a mini-vacation again.

There are some RV parks that have better WiFi than others. Usually, Pine Island has good WiFi with decent bandwidth. I have no idea what has been wrong the last few days. I have reported the problem with WiFi here several times. It’s working right now. That’s all I can say!

Yesterday, we took a great side trip. We spent the afternoon at Ft. Myers Beach. Ft. Myers Beach is not exactly Ft. Myers. It is a little town of its own, located on Estero Island, a small barrier island, across a small slip of water and connected to Ft. Myers by a bridge. One of the famous things about Ft. Myers Beach is its sugar-sand. The white sand, the consistency of sugar, that makes up this wide and beautiful beach. Ft. Myers Beach is famous for parasailing, kayaking, dolphin eco-tours, and simply relaxing. Oh, I forgot! Lots of partying!

We ate at a great seafood restaurant called The Beached Whale. I had absolutely fabulous shrimp tacos and perhaps the best non-mayo cole slaw I’ve ever eaten. I really recommend Ft. Myers Beach for a day or three if you are in the area. There are reasonably priced places to both eat and stay.

I will post more pictures of Ft. Myers Beach when my WiFi will cooperate!

 

 

Posted in Blog Series

#12: Adventures in RV – January 22, 2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

 

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Trip to the Everglades

Above is an alligator in the Everglades. Big guy. We were high above him – thank goodness!

Maybe I should wait until later tonight to write this blog post. We are waiting on really serious storms here tonight. Another issue when you have a RV which I addressed in my earlier blog post #11. Unfortunately, I’m getting to use my own advice tonight! We have secured everything around the RV and I think the RV park is going to encourage us to go to the Clubhouse if things get bad here. I wonder if they are encouraging everyone to bring their dogs and cats! 🙂

Now, onward! We have now been at the RV Park four full days and it has flown by! Yesterday, we went to visit the Everglades which is one of my favorite side trips when I am in South Florida. It’s a pretty long side trip from where we are, but you can do it in a day. The Everglades seemed a little different to me than it did a few years ago. One of the biggest problems the Everglades has is the pythons. Pythons are not native to the U.S. People have taken their “pet” pythons and dumped them in the Everglades where they have eaten a lot of the native species. Imagine what that means. The Everglades is one of the most important wetlands in the world. The fact that people have a “pet” they never should have had in the first place – a PYTHON SNAKE – and then they get scared of it and think they have to get rid of it and dump it in the Everglades has almost ruined this wetland environment.

Python hunters are paid a bounty to kill pythons but pythons are notoriously hard to find and kill. Bounty hunters have made very little progress, but the pythons have made an incredible amount of progress. I did not see as much wildlife this year as a few years ago. What damage man has done to this planet. End of rant.

We did see a few native species. We always see the alligators. Here is a photo I really like, though alligators are not my favorite species!

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We drove all the way from Pine Island to Everglades City, which is actually the last stop before reaching the tip of Florida. There is not much beyond Everglades City except….well….the Everglades!

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I don’t know what kind of bird this is. If anyone knows, please put it in the comments. Thanks.

I hope you enjoy the pictures. I’ll share more another time. More from “Adventures” tomorrow! I’ll finish our Everglades trip!

 

Posted in Blog Series

#11: Adventures in RV Travel – January 22, 2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

How to Prepare Your RV for a Storm

Here in South Florida, we have a poor weather forecast for today, Jan 22, and tomorrow, Jan 23. We have a severe thunderstorm advisory with a high wind (50 mph) advisory. We also have a tornado watch…..and it’s early yet. We’re sitting here in our beautiful park in a RV! So how do you prepare your RV and yourself for a storm so you sustain as little damage as possible? Here is my checklist:

  1.  First and foremost, roll up your awning and secure it. You don’t want it torn off your RV!
  2. Stow away anything loose around your RV such as chairs, tables, rugs, and mats. Obviously, this also means candles, glasses, and everything outside.
  3. If you have a satellite dish, either secure it somehow or do what we do and take it down. Most importantly, protect the eyes of the satellite.
  4. Close the RV roof vents if they do not have covers.
  5. If you’re like me and you eat out a lot, get in some groceries. You might need to eat in for a day or two.
  6. Charge up all your electronics. Get them charged early so if the power goes off, you’re prepared.
  7. Make sure the wheels of the RV are secured and the RV can’t roll.
  8. If you use propane for heat or to run some of your appliances, make sure it is filled.
  9. Be sure you know where the bathhouses are if you are in a RV park. If there is a tornado, you will need to get into one.
  10. Be sure your car is gassed up in case you need to evacuate.

I hope this helps you. I will be back later today with another “Adventures” post, assuming I still have Internet! If you don’t hear from me, hang on. That only means the Internet is down here due to the storms.

 

Posted in Challenges

#SoCS – Jan 20/17

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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Wow! What a week for a stream of consciousness post. What has overtaken my mind at this point is the fact that I’m in southwest Florida, on an island off the coast of Ft. Myers and it’s warm, dry, and beautiful! It’s January! I love the ocean and since we arrived, the weather has been tranquil and the ocean like glass. Actually, we’ve been here five times before at this time of year, but not for a couple of years. I’m so thrilled to be here again I can hardly think of anything else. I’m really enjoying it. We’re taking a side trip to the Everglades tomorrow, one of my favorite places. Primarily so I can see the wildlife…..then rant about how we’re killing our environment.

There are other things on my mind. When we got to our favorite place in the world here in Florida, we found that two of our friends had passed away since we were here last. One quite suddenly and at a young age. He and his wife came here from North Dakota every year for six months and were good friends. The other an older gentleman  that also spent the season here. He was an interesting story. He had two German Shepherds, trained only using German commands. They were the most intricately trained, and well trained, dogs I’ve ever known. It haunts me wondering what happened to the dogs as Hans was single, to my knowledge. I don’t know if he had any family or not.

The other thing on my mind is my desire to move to Florida. There are so many reasons to move, but there are a few reasons not to move. I’m having a mental battle between pros and cons. One concern is the fact I will have to spend a lot of the hot times indoors. That is due to a health condition. My particular health condition does not allow me to tolerate very high heat for very long at a time. However, there are positives about moving regarding that same health condition. This specific downside is the only downside to moving here, but it is a significant downside. Before I make a final decision, I have to talk to my doctor although I’ve been told not to worry about this side effect. We will see a realtor here in Florida several times while we are here. We aren’t yet picking out a house as our house where we currently live has to be sold first. We are picking out the community in which we want to live.

Last, I guess I’m a little worried about my dog, Betsy. She is doing well on this trip, but she is sleeping a lot. She had a seizure about three weeks ago, so I am watchful. Signing off for this week!

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Posted in Blog Series

#10: Adventures in RV Travel – January 20, 2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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Hello, everyone! The picture above is of beautiful Matlacha Bay. Matlacha is the little island between Pine Island and the mainland of Florida. I took this picture off the Matlacha Drawbridge. Yes, Matlacha still has a drawbridge and ships really do come through the Matlacha Pass. You’re looking at one side of the pass and the Matlacha Bay. People are always fishing off this bridge and another bridge in Matlacha, known as the “fishingest bridge in the world.” Isn’t the bay beautiful? I spent some time “sitting on the dock of the bay” today. Hmmm…..sounds like a song. 🙂

I love to look at the ocean, gaze at the water, and look at the horizon. I took time to do that today. It soothes my soul.

The weather here today was wonderful. The temperature was pushing 80 degrees, calm wind, low humidity. The first thing I did this morning was to take my dog, Betsy, on a long walk. Almost everyone who owns a RV in these RV parks seems to have a dog! Dogs of all breeds, mixed breeds, and just dogs of all shapes, ages, and sizes. Betsy enjoys her walks immensely and I love walking her. It’s the best exercise I’ve gotten in a while. Not only is it cold where I live, it’s mountainous. It’s hard for me to walk and hard on Betsy. Love being in Florida! This island is flat and sandy. Great for walking and biking.

Another reason for my determination to walk Betsy is that she is just a bit chubby right now. Her vet prescribed three short walks per day. We’re doing that. I ride my bikes and take long walks on my own and, if it is early in the morning, I will take Betsy on a long walk before it gets hot.

One of my friends in Pine Island RV Park is an artist. She comes to Pine Island for six months every year. While she’s here, she makes crafts out of local materials like coconuts. I have several of her creations and I love them. I put them on my patio in the summer at home and, of course, on the patio of the RV. You will see a picture of the wonderful pink flamingo that Susie makes at the end of this blog post. 🙂 She makes other South Florida-related creatures as well. I met Susie, and her husband, Kelly, the first year we came to Pine Island. Kelly, unfortunately, is no longer with us. Susie keeps right on coming to Pine Island because of all her friends here. This year, I got one of the alligators she made. I will share him with you sometime! I also have a wood stork and a bee.

This may sound crazy, but I love to go to the grocery in Florida in the winter! Why? The grocery stores where I live just don’t compare, especially in the winter. I suppose it isn’t a fair comparison. After all, Florida is one of our bread baskets. I went to the big Publix Supermarket today that is about 10 miles from our park. Oh my goodness! I had forgotten about their produce. I wanted to buy every fresh vegetable in the store. We stayed in for dinner tonight. My husband grilled something for himself. I had crab and a huge salad made from those wonderful fresh vegetables. I was in heaven! The tomatoes here are to die for at this time of year!

Today was the day for my husband to work on the TV. We had cable TV in our RV but my husband, a TV buff, wanted satellite TV. Years ago, he bought a dish for the bus. So he spent most of the day trying to set up the satellite for the RV only to find out that he needs something from the satellite company to do it. It’s on its way to him at the park.

The days are starting to fly by here. By the time all this was finished today, the day was over and dark had fallen!

Tomorrow will be exciting. We’re going to go to the Everglades! This is a trip we take every time we come to South Florida. I’ll blog about the Everglades tomorrow night! More from “Adventures” then!

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Posted in Blog Series

#9: Adventures in RV Travel – January 19, 2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson
The palms
Sunset over the lake
Palm by the lake

 

First Day in Paradise!

The first nice thing today was that I didn’t have to be in a moving vehicle! I think I will feel like I am moving for several days. If I’m in a moving vehicle, it will be a car and it won’t be on a noisy interstate! This, I say, after almost 1100 miles in the RV! I’ll get over it!

It was nice to wake up this a.m. with the sun shining, blue sky, and it was already above 70 degrees! I woke up pretty early which is a habit. I hope I can learn to sleep a little later over the next few weeks. I would like to feel a little lazy. When I walked outside this a.m., I saw the Pine Island RV Park for the first time in a couple of years. It looks beautiful. Some real improvements have been made recently. Concrete pads for almost every site and every RV’er knows how important that is. At least my husband thinks it is. Large sites, at least in our section. Someone to come help set up the cable TV. I was able to set up the fairly easy WiFi myself and bandwidth seems good. A patio with picnic table. Firepit. Room for the car we towed. I’ve been to enough RV parks to know that this is, indeed, a very nice park.

There are parts of the park where the RVs are a little closer together but we knew where to park! The reason the RV’s are close together is because most are so large now. The sites used to be plenty big enough. Other parts of the park, such as our part, have sites that are still large enough. The park has three lakes that have been maintained really well. The only odd thing is that wood storks used to populate the park. I have not yet seen any which is very strange. I can’t imagine where they have gone. They were here each of the five years we were. They roosted in the trees all around the park.

Before you ask, even though there are three lakes, I have never seen an alligator in this RV park. Not so with the Naples RV park. You practically trip over them there. Both last night and tonight when we were out, I didn’t notice any bugs. No mosquitoes. Nothing. Again, this beats Naples where, one year, I got eaten alive by bugs. Of course, Naples is more tropical.

One thing we really noticed. This is our sixth year at this park. We have never ever seen it so full. It is almost completely full. People appear to be RV’ing this winter.

All seems to be well with Pine Island RV Park. I still love it as much as ever. I had some errands to do today and had to be away from the park but I hope to be around most of the day tomorrow. I’d like to ride my bike on the well-paved roads, walk my dog even more than today, visit friends, and just enjoy myself. I think we will stay in for dinner tomorrow night. I did not make it to the fruit farms at the northern end of the island today, but I may try to do that tomorrow. I want to learn more about the fruit operations. For our own personal use, I did pick up some awesome tomatoes at a local fruit stand along with locally grown lettuce and strawberries which will help make a salad tomorrow night.

I realized today that I have never introduced one member of my little family to you. At the end of this post, you will meet Tigger, our yellow tabby cat, who is more like a dog, and loves to travel in the RV! You’ll laugh at the pose and where he is.

It was a long and rather arduous RV trip to Pine Island this year. I’m so glad we came! I’m surely not a person who could be a full-time RV’er. But, I can be an RV-adventurer and really enjoy it!

More tomorrow from “Adventures!”

Here is Tigger! On the dashboard of the RV!

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Posted in Blog Series

#8: Adventures in RV Travel – January 18, 2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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We have ARRIVED!!!

Good evening, all! It’s not as late as I write this tonight as it was last night. We’ve arrived at our destination! We are at Pine Island, Florida. An island north of Sanibel Island and right off the coast of Ft. Myers and Cape Coral, Florida. Pine Island is not your typical tourist hangout. It is still a little bit of “Old Florida.” It is not developed into a cement and skyscraper environment. Most of it is zoned as agricultural land. Some of Florida’s finest fishing is done around Pine Island and in Matlacha Pass.

Matlacha is a small island between Pine Island and the mainland. The village of Matlacha is a haven for artists and writers as is Pine Island. Crops grown on Pine Island include palm trees for shipping to Arizona and California, mangos, and lychee fruit. Pine Island fruit is very sought after. I will tell you much more about Matlacha, Pine Island, and the other small towns on Pine Island as I explore them this next few weeks. This will be my sixth time here visiting their very nice RV park as a snow bird.

Along with exploring everything about Pine Island, I will take a trip, and take you with me, into the Everglades. Other trips into Central Florida. We will even spend a few days on a sunny beach in the panhandle. So, now that I’ve arrived, there will be lots of adventures and lots and lots of photographs I want to share with you.

We put in about seven hours on the road today and it was mostly uneventful. I calculated our mileage tonight. It was 1052 miles from my home in northeastern Kentucky to this little island in the sea. I think I feel every one of them. 🙂 We arrived after dark or I would have taken some photos for tonight’s blog post. All we had time to do was park the RV and visit with friends.

You may be wondering about friends in a RV park. Pine Island is such a great place that the same people come back year after year. It has been a couple of years since I have been here but most of my friends are here as they are every winter. I got to see a few of them tonight and will see more tomorrow. Then, we went to Bert’s Bar and Grill in Matlacha for a quick dinner. Bert’s has been written up in food publications, particularly their grouper sandwiches. That is what I was going to have to eat, until I saw LOBSTER ROLLS on their menu. Grouper will have to wait until my next visit to Bert’s, probably tomorrow! I had the best large lobster roll I have ever eaten!

Bert’s is an experience. We sat there and ate and listened to a live band play classic rock. Santana, if you can believe that, and they did an excellent job. I was off in my own little rock and roll world. It was 70 degrees on Bert’s patio, Santana playing, and lobster. How can you beat that!? Oh, I forgot. The patio is on the Gulf of Mexico! I remember listening to Santana when…..oh…..never mind! 🙂

Then, back to the RV. Everyone is in bed and I’m finishing this post to you. Tomorrow, I’ll start taking pictures and will describe everything to you. More “Adventures” coming your way then!