Even though we're back in snow country

I prefer to post this photo I took just before leaving Florida. It will be quite awhile before we see flowers blooming in Maine. But it's been a great trip!

Bayou Country

Staying way south in Bayou Country

After leaving Austin we headed east through Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Wanting to avoid the unusual cold and snow in the northern part of these states, we kept as far south as possible. That meant traveling along the gulf coast. It seems our weather luck was all at the start of this trip, for now we have overcast, rain, and sometimes windy conditions. Then we found Ho-Hum RV Park in Carrabelle, Florida (panhandle). They had one spot left! It was so windy that evening, the bark was being blown off the Loblolly pine tree next to us, scaring us with the thuds. It didn't help any that the manager said they have a lot of bear activity here! 

  

In Caravelle, FL - Our Roadtrek is the tiny one where the arrow is pointing!

Anyway, the next day was a bit calmer and I got a few photos before we left. I never get tired of looking at water!

Austin was great!

We rolled into town February 17 for Bonnie's QuiltCon adventure. That's where today's modern quilters convene to show, view, learn, and generally swoon over everything modern quilt related. More info at The Modern Quilt Guild website. www.themodernquiltquild.com

Below is the 2015 Best in Show "i Quilt" made by Kathy York of Austin. Nice job, Kathy!

The 4-day conference left me saturated with color, design ideas, and eager for more! 

Mardi Gras = Serious Bling

It's my impression that Mardi Gras is celebrated along the Gulf Coast all through February. Here is one doorway in the small town of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. I was impressed! You will also see Mardi Gras trees (like a Christmas tree, only decorated for Mardi Gras). And, of course, beads. Lots of beads. And, parades. Lots of parades. It's a festive time of extreme partying before Lent. And, New Orleans embraces the partying spirit all year long, but especially now!

Louisiana is a blast! Bourbon Street in New Orleans is debauchery, but we enjoyed viewing it from a balcony table at Le Bayou restaurant, watching the parade of people on the sidewalks below. We had a nice dinner at Deanies and the best part was red potatoes served with butter before the meal, instead of rolls. They cook the potatoes in the spicy low country boil, making them delish! It's all about the food!

We also enjoyed the beignets (French donut/fried dough, heavily dusted with confectioner's sugar) and cafe au last at Cafe du Monde. Iconic. Of course this, and many other treats contributed to Bonnie's Weight Watchers' overage today at weigh-in. Only a couple of pounds up. I'll take it!

New Orleans

We made it to Louisiana and the Big Easy. We are staying in an RV Reaort within walking distance of the French Quarter. What a crazy place. Oh, but the FOOD! I'm a fan. The weather has been kind to us. We chose a good winter to leave Maine for a couple of months. 

On the road again

So, the Roadtrek is repaired.and we are on our way again. We left Bonita Springs Wednesday and stayed overnight in Perry, just into the panhandle of Florida. We are now in Panama City Beach, FL and will be in Mississippi for an informal Roadtrek gathering, I'm so excited about "Shrimpin' on the Bayou" with about 20 other Roadtrek units and 30+ people. We will have a "low country boil" Saturday night. Can't wait!
Meanwhile, back in Maine, our son checked on our condo and sent this picture of the patio view out our back slider. Um. I'm glad we are here!

An extra day in paradise

The bad news: A dead RV. The better news: we weren't far from a Dodge dealership. The best news: it happened just before a visit to friends we can stay with while it's being repaired. 

So today we kicked back and visited manatees. Tomorrow we might be on the road again!

Bonita Springs visit

Chefs du jour, college buddies Tom and Fred. Our travels brought us within range of a quick overnight visit. Good friends, good food, good wine. Thanks to Fred and Janet!

America's Sweetest Town, Clewiston, Florida

We wondered what the miles and miles of grass-like plantings were as we drove along the southern side of Lake Okeechobee from Loxahatchee to Clewiston. It's sugar cane! Apparently the mucky soil here is perfect for cultivating it, so it is quite the industry all around this area.
I would post a picture of the fields, but it's pretty boring to look at. I thought this sign at our campground was more interesting.

Lion Country safari

We are in Loxahatchee, FL at this combined KOA and African wildlife preserve. We hear the lions roar off and on, making us feel like we really ARE in Africa. Feeding the giraffes was the best, although driving through the wild animals' habitat was also a thrill. Herds of wildebeest, zebra, Impala, tapir, rhinos, as well as ostrich, chimps, gibbons, and more. In addition, there is an amusement park with restaurant. I'm thinking about a camel ride tomorrow!

Bonnie Dwyer

Okeechobee

We have often stayed at KOA campgrounds because we can usually rely on them to be very clean and the larger ones to have amazing amenities. This one has several heated pools, a 9-hole golf course, mini golf, a snack bar and a bar that serves 16 oz draft beer @ $1.50. Temp went down to the high 30's overnight. Still, better than home!

Soggy State Park

Highlands Hammock State park was hit last night by heavy rains and wind. So we have decided to move on. Will post more later. 

Crane, revisited

This guy is giving me the beady eye!

This Florida crane (I was originally told it was a whooping crane, but maybe it's a sand hill crane) accompanied me briefly on my morning walk until two of his buddies came swooping in with such a clatter! They are noisy.

We are having a great time in central Florida with warm temperatures and sunshine. We couldn't ask for more!

Not missing Maine weather, for sure.

These cranes stand about 30 inches.

Our little camper among the giants

See the little van? That's us!

We are spending this week in Lake Placid, Florida. The only Lake Placid I knew before was in NY. This one was named by Melville Dewey, creator of the Dewey Decimal System. This seems appropriate for a retired librarian!

This RV park is named Camp Florida Resort and is a super friendly place. It's mostly snowbirds, as you might imagine. It's done up right and includes tennis courts, a salt water swimming pool, and lots of scheduled activities.

Parked by the salt water pool

We spent a couple of nights at our friends in Hudson, FL, north of Tampa. I've known Marilyn since 1965 (yikes!) when I spent a year near London being sort of a nanny. She was a neighbor.
During our 2-night stay, the weather improved so we could sit out in the sun for a bit.

We took them to lunch at a British-style pub called "Brits" where we had a couple of refills on the complimentary the fried potato chips. Yummy!

Ted, Bonnie, Marilyn

Brits pub in a mall, Hudson, Florida

Here's what we like to see

Gas was $1.99 a gallon yesterday and today $1.95. At 15 mpg in the camper this is a welcome sight!

Well, of course the first order of business is to find antique malls, right? This one was on our trip from Darien, GA to Ocala area of Florida.

So, Tom, being a good sport, stopped so I could wander the aisles for awhile. That's one way to stretch my legs, and it was free since I didn't find anything I couldn't live without. I looked at a quilt top that was entirely hand stitched, alternating 9-patch and T blocks from late 1900's, but it was fragile.

We found a Trader Joe's in Gainesville, bought a few provisions and found a campground for the night. It's a KOA with conveniences - the most important being the laundry, which we are using. The best part? The temperature is an acceptable 68 degrees. When you leave sub-zero northern tier, this is wonderful!

Darien, Georgia

Of course I found an antique shop. This one had an amazingly  random assortment of stuff. But I remember being here a couple of years ago when I spotted a reproduction of the Harriet Powers Bible quilt for a fellow appraiser! Such fun 

Tonight will likely be the last one in a motel. The temperature will be warm enough to sleep in the camper tomorrow. 

Heavy rain in NC

At least it isn't snow, and the milder temps feel good. 

We are taking our sweet time, planning to stay in Lumberton, NC tonight. I'll be looking for a yarn shop so I can keep busy knitting while riding shotgun. 

2015 travels south

Leaving in our 2001 Roadtrek 190 Popular

It's time to resurrect the travel blog, so here goes. It's been awhile, so this will be a work in progress.

The Maine winter is a good thing to leave behind for awhile if you can. Now that we live in a condo, we feel more comfortable locking the door and heading south. So, we've made it to Richmond, VA today (Jan 11), where current temp is 44 degrees. We'll take it. I think the temp was  in the single digits when we left on January 10.

Thanks to Stan, Toot and Ella for giving us a sendoff from NH.