WEEK 2

FLORIDA

 WE AGAIN STOPPED AT THE ORANGE LAKE TRADING POST.

STILL LOOKS MUCH THE SAME.

VERY INTERESTING PLACE. RON DID FIND A FEW 8 TRACKS.

THE VILLAGES - A RETIREMENT PLACE FOR THE RICH???

 A LOT OF SPANISH MOSS HANGING FROM THE TREES.

SOME LOOKED PRETTY SUN BLEACHED.

WE ARRIVED IN KISSIMMEE ON SUNDAY EVENING AND

SETTLED INTO SUN SOL. A NICE MOTEL.

RON RELAXING BY THE POOL.

 PICKING UP A COFFEE.

SUNSET VIEW FROM THE BALCONY.

HELICOPTER TOURS FLEW RIGHT OVER OUR MOTEL. 

THIS CHOPPER SCARED UP A BUNCH OF BIRDS 

 ALONG THE BACK FENCE I FOUND SOME ORANGE TREES.

THEY WERE IN BLOOM AND THE FRAGRANCE WAS WONDERFUL.

BROUGHT BACK MEMORIES FROM THE MONTHS WE SPENT

WORKING WITH MDS.

 A LITTLE FRIEND STOPPING BY WHILE WE WERE HAVING 

SUPPER POOL SIDE.

 A MOCKING BIRD SINGING HIS HEART OUT MOST OF THE DAY.

A VULTURE AT REST.

AZALEAS

TIME TO CHECK IN AT OUR RENTAL HOUSE IN 

WINDSOR HILLS.

 RAY & DOROTHY (BROTHER & WIFE) WERE STAYING JUST 

DOWN THE ROAD. THEIR CHILDREN HAD LEFT ON WEDNESDAY

SO WE INVITED THEM FOR BREAKFAST POOL SIDE. 

IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL MORNING.

WAITING FOR MJJDM TO ARRIVE IN THE AFTERNOON.

MET THE KIDS AT THE SANFORD AIRPORT.

THEY WERE GLAD TO SHED THEIR WINTER CLOTHES.

EVERYTHING WAS A 2 THUMBS UP FOR MICHAYLA!

I THINK IT TOOK 5 MINUTES BEFORE THEY WERE IN THE POOL.

WE HAD STOPPED FOR A QDOBA SUPPER SO THEY WERE READY

FOR A SWIM BEFORE SUNSET.

A FEW GAMES OF POOL AFTER.

THESE GUYS ARE EARLY RISERS. THEY DID SLEEP TILL

7:00 SO WE GOT TO SEE THE SUNRISE TOGETHER. 

 
MORE GAMES BEFORE POOL TIME.

WE HAD GIVEN THE KIDS SOME US CASH FOR CHRISTMAS 

SO THEY WENT OUT SHOPPING BEFORE CHRIS & LORI FLEW IN.

MORE LEGO!

 WORKING ON THE 'JELLY LOOM' MICHAYLA PICKED UP.

I HAD ONE MANY YEARS AGO.

 A NEW GAME - APPLES TO APPLES

SO TIME FOR A GAME BEFORE BREAKFAST.

SINCE LORI & CHRIS'S PLANE WAS DELAYED, THEY DID

NOT ARRIVE TILL WELL AFTER MIDNIGHT.

LATE NIGHT FOR US.

TIME TO INDULGE!

BREAKFAST POOL SIDE. 

WE TRIED TO 'EAT OUT' AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!

A VIEW FROM THE BACK FENCE.

HIBISCUS THROUGH THE SCREEN.

 

AFTER BREAKFAST WE HEADED TO PLANT CITY.

ANOTHER PLACE WE LEARNED ABOUT WHEN WE WERE

IN WAUCHULA IN 05-06

WE DROPPED CHRIS OFF IN LAKELAND SO HE COULD

MEET UP WITH A FRIEND HE HAD NOT SEEN IN 11 YEARS.

THEY HAD WORKED WITH YWAM IN KONA.

WE MET UP AGAIN AT THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET AFTER LUNCH.

KNOWN FOR BEING THE STRAWBERRY CAPITAL OF 

THE US. THEY SUPPLY ABOUT 3/4 OF THE WINTER BERRIES.

SOUVENIR SHOPPING

TIME TO TRY THE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

AND STRAWBERRY SMOOTHIE!

THE SMOOTHIE IS THE BEST!!!!

WE STOCKED UP ON BOTH BERRIES AND ORANGES AS

WELL AS A LOT OF OTHER FRUITS AND VEGGIES.

ENOUGH TO SUPPLY US FOR THE WEEK AHEAD. 

 

WE INVITED RAY & DOROTHY BACK TO JOIN US FOR SUPPER.

THEY HAD NOT SEEN THE KIDS FOR A LONG TIME SO IT WAS

GOOD TO CATCH UP.

AND OF COURSE, WE HAD STRAWBERRIES AND ICE CREAM

AFTER THE BARBEQUE.

WEEK 3 COMING UP - ALL THE ACTIVITIES WE ENJOYED.

WEEK 1

WE DECIDED TO TAKE 10 DAYS TO 

GET TO OUR RENTAL HOUSE IN 

FLORIDA. 

 WE LEFT WINNIPEG WITH -32 SHOWING ON OUR CAR

AND A BEAUTIFUL SUNRISE.

FLORIDA HAS BEEN HAVING +20 MOST DAYS.

CAN'T WAIT

LOTS OF SNOW COVER MOST OF THE WAY TO BRANSON.

WE HAD NOT BEEN TO LAMBERT'S EVEN THOUGH WE

HAD STOPPED THERE MANY TIMES.

MOST TIMES THERE WERE BUS LOADS OF PEOPLE

SO WE SPENT TIME AT THE ANTIQUE MALLS INSTEAD.

THIS TIME THERE WERE NO LINE UPS AND THE ANTIQUE MALLS

HAD CLOSED. WE FOUND SEVERAL OF OUR REGULAR STOPS

HAD DISAPPEARED.

THE PORTIONS ARE HUGE. WE HAD LUNCH AND SUPPER!

I TRIED THE CATFISH AND RON HAD HOG JOWLS!

RON ENJOYING A 'THROWED ROLL'! THEY REALLY DO CHUCK 

THOSE ROLLS AT THE DINERS!

 BRANSON - FINALLY A LITTLE LESS SNOW!

I DID GET A 'SORT OF PICTURE' OF A CARDINAL.

MY AIM WAS TO SEE SOME - I SAW QUITE A FEW!

PICTURES OF THEM - NOT SO MUCH!!!!

 WE DID A FEW OF THE REGULAR STOPS AT BRANSON.

HAD TO CHECK OUT DICK'S AS WELL

AS ALL THE THRIFT STORES IN THE VICINITY.

LOCATED A FEW UNIQUE NATIVITY SCENES FOR

MY COLLECTION.

RON IS ALWAYS LOOKING AT TOYS!

NOT A LOT OF SHOWS OPEN YET.

WE MISSED THE ANTIQUE MALL AND QUILT SHOP

THAT FELL VICTIM TO THE TORNADO THAT PASSED THROUGH

2 YEARS AGO.

NOTHING HAS BEEN BUILT ON THAT SITE YET.

SO WE FOUND A FEW OUT OF THE WAY PLACES TO CHECK.

ON OUR WAY OUT OF TOWN, HEADING SOUTH ON THE 65, WE DETOURED

TO CHECK OUT STONECROFT. WE HAD SPENT SEVERAL WEEKS THERE

OVER THE PAST YEARS VOLUNTEERING.

WE WATCHED MANY BEAUTIFUL SUNSETS OVER

TABLE ROCK LAKE (BETWEEN THE BUILDINGS IN THE DISTANCE).

 THE BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN SOLD BUT NOTHING HAS

CHANGED SINCE WE LAST STOPPED BY.

 SEVERAL TIMES WE SAW HUGE FLOCKS OF GEESE.

THERE WERE BOTH SNOW GEESE AND CANADA GEESE

GATHERING IN VARIOUS FIELDS.

GUESS THEY WILL BE SLOWED DOWN A LITTLE

THIS SPRING AS WINNIPEG IS STILL IN WINTER MODE!

 HEADING INTO MISSISSIPPI BROUGHT A BIT

OF WARMTH. AND A LOT LESS SNOW.

 AMONG THE THINGS WE STOP FOR - OLD CARS!

RON SPOTTED THESE AND DID A QUICK TURN AROUND.

OUR FIRST SIGN INDICATING WE WERE 

NEARING FLORIDA - IN MOBILE, AL

A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL.

 THE SS ALABAMA - WE STOPPED HERE MANY YEARS AGO

WHEN OUR KIDS WERE YOUNG.

MOSTLY SUNSHINE AND TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW 20'S

 I 10 HEADING EAST

 WE STOPPED IN FORT WALTON BEACH, ON THE 

GULF OF MEXICO.

WE SPENT SOME TIME ENJOYING THE WATER VIEWS.

 THIS WAS A DOG PARK, RIGHT ACROSS THE ROAD FROM OUR MOTEL.

QUITE A BIT OF WATER STANDING IN THE AREA, BUT WE COULD

GET DOWN TO THE WATER'S EDGE FOR A FEW PICTURES.

FURTHER DOWN THE BEACH ROAD JUST BEFORE SUNSET.

WE CONTINUED ON THE 98 (AND A FEW SMALLER SIDE ROADS) 

FOLLOWING THE GULF OF MEXICO

EARLY MORNING 1 WEEK AFTER LEAVING HOME!

NICE SUNRISE BUT TOO MANY BUILDINGS IN THE WAY.

THE WHITE SAND ALONG THE GULF.

BUT THE WIND WAS EXTREMELY COLD OFF

THE WATER. WE DECIDED NOT

TO WALK ALONG THE SAND.

DID NOT WANT TO PULL OUT OUR WINTER

COATS AGAIN.

 OUR TRAVELS DOWN THE GULF.

WENT THROUGH SEVERAL SMALL PLACES SO

TRAVELS WERE SLOWER.

 GOT TO TALLAHASSEE JUST BEFORE THE FLEA MARKET

CLOSED. SO WE DID A QUICK WALK THROUGH AND HEADED

TO THE I 10 AND LAKE CITY FLORIDA.

 MANY SHRUBS ARE IN BLOOM. WILL NEED TO CHECK MY

BOOKS TO SEE IF I CAN IDENTIFY SOME OF THOSE FLOWERING

AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR.

CHECK BACK FOR WEEK 2!

We Missed February!!!

We had a 4 week holiday. Thought we had missed the thaw - NOT!

This is what we came home to!

Ron making the first trip up the walk after being away for 4 weeks.

We could not get into the garage because of the snow build up in the back lane!

Thankfully we had someone look after the house and keep the walks clear!

Thanks Kristin & Stuart!

That was a big job!.

 

We did not clear the front walk this winter. 

Maybe a good thing as the 5 feet of snow gave a good layer

of insulation to the water pipes leading to the house.

Many houses in the city have been without water because of frozen pipes.

Not having a barbeque any time soon. The deck is waist deep in snow.

Don't remember a year where we have not had a thaw by this time.

It was good to be away but coming home to this makes us feel like

that was only a dream.

 Will post pics of our holiday over the next few days!

Still trying to come to grips with -20.

Life goes on - we did

head to the Forks for breakfast with friends anyway.