New Library, New Room, New Technology, New Administration

At the beginning of 2015, we saw the church library finally get moved. Connie was the librarian. Originally the Library was located in the front of the building. Anyone coming in would immediately see it. But with the new church's renovation, the library moved back to a smaller room. Smaller room yes, but lots of book shelves. 

We went for comfortable reading backed by new technology for inventory and checkout. We brought in comfortable chairs. 

and coffee and tea...

and barcodes everywhere; books, media, and people. 

What really helped was Tonya Veldt took

over the administration bringing in a new enthusiasm and ideas. 

Cold Start

Well we left on Tuesday. Not sure of the temperature, but it had to be close to zero. On Monday, I actually shoveled snow from the front of the trailer so I could pull it out. My biggest fear was the Jeep rear wheels would be sitting on ice. Although I also knew the front wheels would be on dry pavement. 

Our first stop was in Knoxville TN. The weather was with us and we drove to our first site. 

You might notice the ice and snow. And yes we did stay in a motel. The hill up to the Super8 was so steep, I told Con if there was even the hint of ice, we were staying. God was good, no ice.

Georgia is still cold in February

We got to Sherry's the next night just before the rain. When I got up to dewinterize the trailer, I found a rock guard about to fall off. The next two days I spent modifying their design and stabilizing the guard. 

When we left the temperature was at or below zero. Needless to say, I did not de-winterize the trailer until Georgia. So, I closed all the drains. Filled the fresh water tank and reconnected the water pump. One day was so warm comparatively, I even washed the trailer. Wonder what it would look like if I waxed and polished. Naa that sounds like too much work. 

Stayed in Georgia with temps below freezing. Actually we stayed at Sherry's farm house. So it was warm inside. 

The trailer was winterized in Ohio so we unwinterized it. We got all the things working, but I noticed a problem with the rock shield on the front curb side. Not a big problem, it was just coming off in the wind. I could just see this large panel tearing off and smashing into some poor old lady's windshield. Then the lawyers would get involved and I would have to sell my house to pay for damages to the car, her dress, emotional stress, and the lawyer's kid's tuition. (I think I am letting my imagination go wild.)

So I fixed it. 

If you look right behind the shield you can where the trailer was getting rubbed. Yes, it would have shortly flown off.  

Blackriver State Park. FL

Our first camp site in Florida was in the Panhandle. You might be asking why the panhandle. Isn't it still pretty cold in February there?  Yes, it is.

So why did we choose there instead Central Florida? If you have tried to reserve a campsite in Florida during the winter you would know that there are none. The entire northern states empty all of their senior citizens and send them to Florida. The only open sites are located up north in the panhandle.

Blackwater River SP 1 March thru 15 March. Spot 11. Pensacola area.
Pretty spot. Glad the heater worked. 

Visited Pensacola and old times. We were stationed there in 1971. Our apartment was gone. Replaced by higher end condos. We found the Naval Air Station Museum and wore the soles off our shoes. 

On the way back, we stopped at Fort Walton Beach. Beautiful sand and seascapes. 

Back at the campsite I decided to do a little fishing. Beautiful River, no fish. So we decided to take a hike. Nice hike but a 6ft snake surprised us in the path. I immediately put Connie in the lead. And we shuffled our feet. And we sung. And we whistled. And we talked loud. And we talked a lot. I also made a mental note. We need a walking stick. 

Because we were camping, we had to cook over the open fire. So one time we had bacon. (Connie likes bacon cooked outside. No grease.) Another time we had a fruit compote cooked in aluminum. Hey, when in the woods you have to cook like a woodsman. 

We bought wood for the fire. I brought charcoal in case it was needed. But what would be nice if I had a little tinder. God provides. The place was littered with pinecones. And I learned that pinecones make great tinder. They literally blow out a flammable liquid from each petal as they burn. What a hotty. I am man. Hear me roar. 

Lake Griffin State Park. FL

You can only stay a maximum of 14 days at a state park. So we needed to travel on to another location. On the way we decided to stop and visit with Sherry Hay in Tallahassee. The campsite was a private site only a couple miles from Sherry's home. I sort of felt like a sardine but I took a picture of our spot because of the enormous oak trees in the campground. 

Name of Campground - Big Oak RV , seems logical. 

Next stop:  Lake Griffin SP. 16 March thru 27 March. Spot 11. South of Ocala, but north of Orlando. 

Although we have the convenience of GPS, getting directions from a website is always worthwhile. Our directions online were somewhat disconcerting though. You see they said to take a right 1 mile after Walmart. Were we in the wilderness? Did Walmart put a center out in the boonies? We found Walmart. And one mile later we  turned right and entered another world. From a six lane divided highway to "the Real Florida." 

We saw this quote, "the Real Florida", throughout Florida State Park advertisements. Typically when one thinks of Florida, one imagines pristine beaches and amusement parks. The real Florida is swampy, wet, overgrown with Spanish Moss, Resurrection Ferns and plenty of amphibians.

It was a beautiful site and only 1 mile from Walmart. 

The campground had a number of amenities. One of which was a boat trip around Lake Griffin. We took advantage and joined the tour. We saw beautiful scenes, gorgeous waterfowl, and a unique rookery, (breeding ground for birds).  

This rookery was unique in the fact it needed very little management. You see it was located on an island. And the natural enemies of the waterfowl did not cross the water to rob nests of eggs or grab a distracted bird. That would be because the 'gaters' roamed the waterways. 

Of course, we were warned to look out for the 'gaters'. 

Another amenity was canoe rental. So I took advantage and rented one for the morning. I fished a couple of inlets and then moved out into the lake. I was a long way from the shore, casting with the wind when...The iPhone rings.

It is Connie. "Where are you? I am waiting at the docks." Did I forget her?  Did she say she wanted to go with me? Did I miss something?  Oh well, "I will be back in about 20 minutes. I am in the middle of the lake."  I apparently forgot the wife. 

Before we left Lake Griffin, we traveled to the gulf coast to see Homosassa Wildlife State Park. I will start another post for that trip. 

We also made a day trip to the Atlantic coast. Ditto on another post. 

We were getting near the end of our stay at Lake Griffin. I had been unsuccessful catching any fish at our campsite, so I thought I would try a new location. 

Google showed us a small city park near Lake Griffin. So we scoped it out and found it to be pretty and quiet with few people. It looks fishy anyway.

We arrived the next day to a completely different scene. 

Apparently there was a fishing derby going on. Well at least there must be fish.

But we saw a critter of a different sort. It was large, far larger than my rod could handle. It had only one color and swam on the surface like a 'gater'. It wasn't too fast and seemed to fear no angler. Con got a picture, but no one believes it. 

Next stop Lake Louisa State Park, FL

Homosassa Park, FL

K

Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park was an private amusement park back in the thirties. It had weird zoo animals, amusement rides and "circus tricks". You know the 2ft man and his 8 ft son. Or the bearded lady, etc. It ran its course and fell into disrepair. I think the owners needed to get out of debt so the land was given to the state. The story goes that all the animals were farmed out to zoos except for one, the hippopotamus . And the only way the state could keep him was if he was a citizen of Florida. So, they granted him citizenship.

Of course, now they have 'gaters' to excite all the tourists. 

But the real reason for the existence of this State Park is wildlife refuge and recovery. Many hurt and broken animals from all over Florida make their way here for recovery and recuperation. Birds which can no longer fly, alligators with prop cuts on their backs, or Manatees in need of winter habitation. 

But the reason why we came was for the manatees. 

Can you see them, no? I had a hard time seeing them too. It was really hot, really hot. And I was sitting on metal bleachers in the sun. And I was tired and the manatees were hiding in the shade. Not a good photo shoot.

So here's a picture of their statue in case you don't know a manatee when you see one. 

Manatees require warm water. They cannot survive below 15 °C (60 °F). Their natural source for warmth during winter is warm, spring-fed rivers. Now you know why they call the park Homosassa Springs State Park. 

The park has a natural spring at the end of an inlet that reaches to the gulf. Manatees looking for warm water during the winter move into the inlet in towards the spring at the end. So during the winter the inlet is full of manatees. At the Spring they have built an underwater room to view the manatees. Unfortunately, we arrived at the very end of the season and the manatees had all left. 

I was in for a great surprise when we went down into the room. Although the manatees had left, a school of snook were still hovering around the spring. There were hundreds of 4 foot, 3 foot fish around the spring and I wondered where my rod was at that moment in time.

Cape Canaveral or Cape Kennedy or New Smyrna Beach

A day off from hiking and fishing, what do we do? Well why not take off to the Atlantic coast and visit Cape Canaveral.

We did the research on the Internet about Cape Canaveral. It was not going to be a cheap date. But maybe we could visit the National Seashore near the Cape. Let's see. Four dollars for the both of us, good times, natural habitat or close to $75, sore feet, and a lot of cement. The choice was easy.

Our trip was pure sun and a beautiful day all the way to the coast. As we turned on to the national seashore, the weather became overcast and windy. It was difficult to even see the ocean. Kind of like a fog. But we continued on, paid our four dollars and went to the gift shop.

As we looked over the trinkets and tourist gadgets to buy, a couple came into the shop and started talking to the sales person.

Sales person: "Did you catch the launch?"

Male customer: "Yes, but just a glimpse. The clouds broke just as the launch took place."

We were there. The Cape had a launch scheduled that morning. We actually read about the launch a couple of days before. But I never put these events together. Oh well.

These natural Sand dunes extend for miles down the coast and protect the inland shore. We preceded south towards the end to visit a home that was built on the dunes by somebody with more money than I.

It was a beautiful home with beautiful oak covered driveways and wharf's into the bay. 

They even hired a pod of dolphins to play off the pier and a critter to roam for photo ops. 

At the end of the dunes, where we were supposed to watch the launch from Cape Kennedy, the weather finally lifted.

We got a number of good pictures of the raw look of the seashore. Hope you enjoy.

On the way out we just had to stop for a fishy lunch. We did, at a fish market that obviously catered to tourists. But it was fun sitting in a small room, using paper plates, in front of a refrigerator case displaying fish and squid, while eating fresh flounder sandwiches, coleslaw and greasy fries. 

Great day. Nice selfie.