Florida is Weird

 Let me start by saying Florida is one of my favorite places to visit in the winter. I say "winter" because I have never been here in the summer or fall, or spring for that matter. But it does have some oddities. 

For one, it is the flattest state in the country with the highest point being only 345' above sea level with the average elevation being only 100'. Back home our house sits over 4,900'. 

Did you know that Florida is the only state in the country with a wild monkey population? While none of them are native, there are 5 different breeds of wild monkeys in the state. Most likely escapees from homes, movie sets or maybe......some infectious disease lab. 

Florida is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles coexist. Yup, nowhere else on earth do these two reptiles live in the same habitat. 

But my favorite Florida oddity is that there is rumored to be over 2 trillion dollars of lost treasure in the ocean off the coast of Florida. Think about that next time you are snorkeling!

We did see some oddities of our own this week while we were in Fort Myers. You ever been to Fort Myers Beach during spring break? While it was not officially spring break yet, there was enough activity for us to see some pretty interesting sights! If I were to be honest, both Barb and I snuck a few pictures and sent them to some friends back home, but they certainly would not be acceptable here on the blog. 

We visited my sister Judy and Mike for four days. One of the nice things about visiting her, is that we can stay right in their driveway!

The first night we got there we headed to the beach area for supper at Doc Ford's where we feasted on meals of a seafood variety. Both very good. 

The next day we started the day by going to Red Horse Distillery. We took a tour and tasted just about everything they carry. I have to tell you; this might have been my favorite distillery tour ever. Pretty much a one-man show. The owner was really interesting to talk to. His spirits were very good too. Between the 4 of us, we came home with 8 bottles. 

After that, we went to the beach proper and took in the sights. 

We met several of Judy and Mike's friends there. Let me tell you, the Rum Runners they serve on the beach are potent! The people watching was over the top. Barb and I went for a walk on the beach, and I took a couple of videos to give you a taste of what it was like. Yeah, I was that weird old guy videoing on the beach!

Monday was a very special day as it was Barbie's birthday! We celebrated by going to a local brewery and later in the day, ordering in Chinese. Of course, we had cake for dessert and sang her happy birthday. 

Our last day there we went to the 6-Mile Cypress Slough where we walked the 1 1/2-mile boardwalk. 

Lots of wildlife and cool scenery. While most everything I recognized, I did have to look up these first two pictures of the Mangrove Snapper and the Wood stork.

That night Mike and Judy made grilled grouper and tuna steak. While both were good, that grouper was to die for!

The 4 days went way too quick. Lots of laughs were had and several dollars exchanged hands during our evening dice games. We only get to see them once a year or two, so we had to make the most of it. 

We pulled out Wednesday morning exhausted but with smiles on our faces. So good to see them! Do you think we took a day or two to relax and recoup? If you know us, you know the answer is no. We drove straight to Punta Gorda where we met up with a former coworker of Barb's and her husband. Shirley and Al have been coming down here for years and know all the good spots to eat. This year they picked Laishley Crab House. We got there a little early, so we took the dogs for a walk along the docks where there was evidence of the most recent hurricane. 

Today was another special day as it was Shirley's birthday! We had a great supper, visited and enjoyed a beautiful sunset. If you look in the background of the picture below you can see that boat sideways on the dock. 

We spent that night in Port Charlotte and the next in Chiefland, which was our first day in quite a while where we did nothing but drive. Our next day brought us to Panama City Beach, not exactly on our way but worth the detour. We stopped and saw some of our Wisconsin friends who stay down there for the winter. Mike and Jan lived just down the lake from us when we lived in Wisconsin. Upon entering their place, I walked directly to the windows. I actually did not want to, my body just did it on its own. You would have the same reaction if you saw their view. 

Right on the beach and facing west, their views are incredible! I could have sat out there for days and just taken in the sights. They said it get pretty crazy there during spring break too, although their busy time is not for another week or two. 

We went to supper at Triple J's just down the road and I have to tell you, I think that was the single best meal I have ever had at a restaurant. Steak Orleans; a filet with a crab cake. It was their special that night and is not on the menu, but if you go there and they are serving it, you will not be disappointed!

Our plan from there was to drive up into Alabama to visit more friends but something came up that diverted us. Well, a couple of somethings. We found a couple of boats that we are going to look at; one in Missouri, one in Nebraska and one in Wisconsin. Two are on our way home, the one in Wisconsin, not so much but we will drive up there if need be. We are currently in Alabama where we spent the night at a Camping World which provided free sites to Good Sam members on a first come first serve basis. 

One last oddity, Barb and I were talking the other day about wills, medical directives and such the other day. When I told her that I wanted to be cremated, she made a note and said "okay". That is not the odd thing. The odd thing is that I overheard her on the phone talking to a crematorium setting up an appointment for next week!

That's it for this week, who knows, next week could have a picture with our truck pulling a new (to us) fishing boat!!!!! Or perhaps Barb with a picture of an urn?!?!

Last Week in Dunnelon

So hot! A bead of sweat dripped down my back providing a little relief. I tapped the thermometer with my finger thinking it was stuck. What a difference a week can make. The 80's have returned to Florida! Back home this week there was over a 100-degree difference in the low of last week to the high of the week. But don't let those 60-degree February temperatures in South Dakota fool you, it is not spring, not even close. Mother Nature lulls you into a false sense of spring, then she slaps you in the face, letting you know who is in control. A couple of years ago, we received 17" of snow in May.  But we are not in South Dakota, not yet at least. 

We just wrapped up our last week in this area, have the camper back on the truck and are ready to move on. The past 28 days have absolutely flown by. This week was filled with more fishing, walks, reading and some horsing around. Dan and I went out fishing on Tuesday morning. Bass fishing on the Withlacoochee. Beautiful day, 0 fish.  We mainly threw plastic worms and spinners, but the fish were not fooled. 

Of the 5 times I got out fishing, none of them were spectacular, but it was certainly nice to get out on the water, enjoy the sun and talk smart with Dan. We thought maybe it was the weather, or the time of the year, but Dan went out Thursday and filled his livewell full of Crappie. We determined it was just me causing us to not catch fish. I don't think he will ever invite me fishing again!

Barb and Jeannie had two adventures, the first to Botanical Garden in Williston. An old quarry that has been transformed into a beautiful garden and gathering place. 

Their second outing was to Tampa Downs to watch some horse races. They do them early in the year here to beat the summer heat. They bet on each of the races, in the end breaking pretty much even. 

Thursday, we got together with Mike one last time for Thirsty Thursday at Copps Brewery. Hard to beat their $4 drafts on Thursdays. Mike bought Barb a Copps Brewery cap! After that we went grocery shopping and bourbon hunting. We are on the hunt for rare bourbons to add to our collection. I am on the search for a Stagg, but so far it has eluded me. Well, I did see three of them on our hunts, but all way overpriced. For the same bottle at three different liquor stores the prices ranged from $299, $199 and $149, the lowest price still $50 over what I am willing to pay. I did pick up two bottles this week, another Eagle Rare and a Knob Creek Bourbon-Rye. 

We also took the girls for a long walk at Blue Run Park in Dunnelon. We ran across one very cool sighting. I know several of you will know what kind of bird this, it was in the middle of eating a pretty long snake. We watched it for 20 minutes while the tried to swallow the snake. That snake fought the entire way, but the bird eventually won. 

The girls had fun though and got a lot of sniffing in. So many things to sniff, so little time....

Friday was cleanup day as we were leaving early the next morning. Putting the camper on the truck and putting everything away. Dan and Jeannie picked us up around 3:00 for our last trip to the Freezer. We did not accomplish our goal of going there once a week, but we did make it 3 out of the 4 weeks. What a great way to end our time here! 

Saturday morning, we were off with the sunrise, headed through Tampa and Sarasota on our way to my sister Judy's house in Fort Myer's for 4 more days of fun in the sun!

Brrr!

Our cold and shivering bodies gathered around the fire trying to absorb its warmth. We did not know if we were going to make it through the night, but by God we were going to try. I looked around our group, we were too cold to talk, too cold to move, we just sat and stared into the flames silently wondering if this was our last night on earth. How could it be this cold? We came down to Florida to escape the cold, glancing at the thermometer on the window, I see the dial was dipping down to the 40°, this was definitely life threatening.

I am sure most of you reading this are wondering if we all survived. I am happy to report we did. 

What a crazy week across the country. Back home in South Dakota, we saw a low of -25 below (is using the - sign and the word "below" a double negative?) The high that day was -4. Two days later the high was 48. Talk about a roller coaster. At the farm in North Dakota, they saw a low of -33, now that is cold! But that does not stop them from working, life carries on at the farm regardless of the weather. Here are a couple of screenshots I took when the temperature when I thought to do it. 

Speaking of The Farm, we talked to Farmer Bob this week in Kenya. He is getting along well. He and the priest are pretty much the only two in the area (at least in his circle) that speak English. Even the masses are in Swahili. Bob has learned a few words and phrases, so far, his favorite is "Hakuna matata" which means "No worries".

Before the bottom fell out of the thermometer (by Florida standards) we were able to get out for a few adventures. Dan and I fished Lochloosa Lake, a beautiful day on the lake, but our worst day fishing so far. I am happy to report, we saw no spiders or snakes, but the wasps were out there!

Like Noonan, the cormorants were waiting in the trees for us to go under them so they would practice their aim. 

While we were doing that, Jeannie and Barb were having a sushi party for the women in the neighborhood. Many of them had never made sushi before and came prepared with sake, fans and geisha hair pins. 

Not wanting to get home too soon (The women were still making sushi), Dan and I stopped at a bar along the way home. Upon entering the bar, it was like we stepped back in time. A blue smokey haze hovered over the entire place. As we took our bar stools, no less than 3 of the 6 patrons were smoking. What the?!?! We ordered our beer, and I googled, "Is smoking legal in Florida bars?". I was shocked to read that yes; it is under specific condition. Apparently (I am going from memory) in 2017, 5 states changed their laws to allow smoking in bars, Florida being one of them. 

While I am not a smoker, I don't disagree with this law, businesses should be able to cater to who they want and survive if there is a market for it.  But I will never go there again. After a quick beer, it was still too early to risk going home, so we stopped by the Clubhouse in their subdivision and met some of the other "sushi husbands" for a few games of pool. 

The next day Barb and I headed to Yalaha, an hour and a half SE to meet up with blogger friends Marlene and Benno. Barb and I have wanted to meet these two for several years. Married almost 60 years, they have lived in a sailboat, a diesel boat, an RV and are in the process of rebuilding another boat. Such and interesting and inspirational couple!

We met them at Yalaha Bakery, an authentic German restaurant. Barb and I had a giant pretzel and a couple of hefeweizens while we sat outside and visited. Before we knew it, two hours had past, and it was time to head home. We all went back inside to get a dessert to go. They have an incredible selection for sweets!

We even got to meet Elsa and Reggie!

  

Oh, I forgot to tell you about last Sunday when we went over to Dan and Jeannie's for our 3rd annual crab claw/oyster feed. Here is Barb and Dan shucking the oysters. They were then flavored with various toppings; garlic/parm, hot sauce, truffle oil.... Delicious!

The four-legged girls just hung out and watched us. Dakota and Sally in the sunroom, Zoey was quite board with everything. 

Friday, we went back out to the World Equestrian Center for a dual-purpose visit. First up was the boat show which was taking place in one of the buildings. While we are in the market for a fishing boat, they did not have any boats that we were interested in. The fishing boats in Florida and so different than the fishing boats we use up north. Talk about some crazy boats though, the most expensive one we saw was over $700,000! 

Then we walked a short distance to watch a jumping event. Hard to beat this venue with the arena in the foreground and the hotel in the background. 

Finally, Saturday was again our Mike and Liz day, no distilleries this week, instead we went over to their house for a smoked brisket feast! Mike had put the brisket in the day before and smoked it overnight. We were joined by Rachel (Mike and Liz's daughter) and John and Karen (Mike's brother). 

John and Karen (and Zoey and Tux)

We had not seen John and Karen since 2019, so it was really nice to catch up with them. They own a couple of shrimping boats and brought a bucket of shrimp to go along the meal. It was still cold (like in the 50's), so Mike started a fire in their outdoor fireplace to keep us warm. 

The brisket was to die for! So tender and juicy. John and Karen also brought a box of Girl Scout Cookies. When I say a box, I mean like a case. Earlier that day they had stopped by Walmart where their granddaughter was selling them. They bought 167 boxes, yup everything she had, at $6.00 per box! Do you think their granddaughter will ever forget that sale?

What a great night. Good food and good friends are hard to beat. We went home with a bag of brisket, a bag of shrimp and 8 boxes of Girl Scout cookies! 

The week did end on a sad note however, when we got a call from back home informing us that our friend Janet (Kevin and Cheryl's neighbor) had passed away. You may remember her from the hay ride we had to Greg and Janet's house late last year. I will never understand why God takes the good ones first, you would be hard-pressed to find a kinder person than Jan. Our hearts go out to Greg and his family.