Been a different winter for us this year

We’ve been at this for four years now, spending the winter months in Florida, but this year has been a little different.  We’ve been home for nearly two weeks and just about settled in.  The best neighbors ever live next door to us and they have been keeping an eye on the house.  We’re grateful we had no major issues with the house this year, it’s always a concern being so far away for long stretches.  

In previous years we split our time in Florida between Lakeland and Freeport.  It turned out to a be colder than average winter in FL this season and the temperature difference between Lakeland and Freeport can be around 10 degrees; Freeport being the colder of the two.  This was one of several factors that helped us decide to not split our time between the two and stay in Lakeland for the entire 4 months. 

Other factors that helped with the decision were that the resort (campground) in Lakeland has lots to offer with hiking trails, pickleball courts, shuffleboard, bocce ball, swimming pools, three 9-hole golf courses and, lots of social activities which include card games, karaoke, movie nights and a Sunday Chapel Service.  We both enjoy pickleball and we managed a few card games (Euchre, Pepper) and I played a bit of golf.  The card games were completely foreign to us but, luckily Sherri Butters and her husband David, hold classes that taught us those games.  Sherri and David are from Pennsylvania and have been coming to the park for many years.  We’ve met so many nice folks during our travels, everyone looking out for one another.  Sanlan RV and Golf Resort, along with other local businesses, hosted a fund raiser to support kidsPACK, which raised about $10,000 dollars.  The program fills backpacks with meals for children to bring home each week that helps struggling families over weekends when school is not in session.  It was a great event and nice to see so many come together to chip in.

We hiked around the attached preserve and saw alligators, bobcats, lots of birds including a nesting pair of bald eagles. Freeport, on the other hand, didn’t have much to offer, with the draw for us being the beautiful Emerald Coast Beaches.  Also, considering our Canadian friends, Darlene & Rick didn’t come down this year, we decided to stay in Lakeland.

But what really made it difference this year was me getting laid up for a couple of months with bronchitis (or something), Mag’s allergies and her part time work.  These factors limited our ability to explore like we usually have, but it did give us the opportunity to meet many folks in the campground and take advantage of many social activities, which we enjoyed.  We met a couple from Michigan, Sue and Mick whom we played pickleball with, went to the movies and explored the Lakeland area.  Mag got involved with a ladies’ pickleball group and played regularly.  All in all, we were glad we decided to stay on Lakeland, enjoying all it has to offer, with warmer temps despite several nights in the upper 20s. 

Around dusk each evening Sanlan provides some remarkable sunsets.  Rick, a longtime resident of Sanlan who lost his wife a few years ago, takes a photo nearly every night in memory of his wife.  Enjoying the sunset was something they both enjoyed and he keeps up the tradition.  He was featured on a local Tampa TV station and here is the clip.  Mag and I also enjoyed the sunsets and one evening,

Mag was trying to capture it, she moved a little too quickly to get the perfect shot, tripped and scraped here knee.  Once back at our site, we cleaned it up and I had to remove a good size pebble that was stuck in the wound.  It was healing nicely, when a couple of weeks later during a trip to downtown Lakeland for dinner, she stumbled over a paver on a walkway.  She fell on the same knee creating an entirely new wound.  It wasn’t as bad as the initial one but as I watched her fall, feeling helpless, I could see her trying as best she could to not let the healing knee contact the ground.  I felt terrible but she walked it off, we cleaned it up and it’s now about 99% healed.  

We left Lakeland on Friday 3/13 and spent two nights in Reddick, FL. so we could attend the World Championship Blacksmiths contest that was held Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  I always enjoy watching the Farriers work their trade, taking a flat piece of steel and shaping it into horseshoe and then nailing on to the hoof.  We attended the last day of competition that was comprised of two events: all Four-Man teams competing in ‘Roadster Day.’  Each member of the team has to measure the hoof and create a shoe to fit.  The event is timed and all four shoes have to be completed and nailed on within two hours: one hoof for each farrier.  It’s fascinating for me to watch because they are so talented and its tough work.  Each team shares a forge and an anvil, so it gets busy and becomes quite a scramble to get it all done in time.  World Championship Blacksmiths was created by Craig Trnka, a farrier himself.  It’s a family affair with his wife Christine, son Bodie and his wife Rachel.  Craig drives a semi-tractor trailer to events they hold across the country.  The rig holds 10 coal fired forges, and you can see the smokestacks sticking out the top.  The events culminate in a World Champion contest at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, AL Canada.  

After Reddick, we headed to Indian Pass Campground in St. Joe, FL.  The campground is about 20 miles from sister and brother-in-law, Trice and Jim.  It was great to spend some time with them and especially the Corned Beef dinner on St. Patrick’s Day!  Indian Pass Campground is on the end of a peninsula that stretches into St. Vincent Sound/Apalachicola Bay.  St. Vincent Island is roughly a 10 minute boat ride, about a quarter mile, from our campsite, and the entire island is a wildlife refuge (St. Vincent Wildlife Refuge).  We probably won’t have time to make it to the island, maybe next time.  We arrived Sunday 3/15 for a 3-night stay.  The sites are all back-in sites which allowed me the opportunity to practice that maneuver, not once, but twice.  In order for the campground to accommodate us for three nights, we had to move out of Site 3 after our first night into Site 4.  The next morning some bad weather came through but once the folks who were in Site 4 pulled out, we scrambled to close up camp and, pull out, back into the adjacent site in a good wind but we were fortunate the rain held off for most of the relocation.   

Wednesday 3/18 we headed north to stops in Darien, GA for one night, then Raeford, NC (4-nights).  We spent time with Denise, Dennis, Jeanne, Evan, Elizabeth and her fiance’ Evan and Carson.  It was great to see and visit with them.  Monday, 3/23 we stayed at Stone Bridge Equestrian Center in Natural Bridge, VA for one night, then at a KOA in Jonestown, PA for one night and then finally home. 

It was great to arrive home as planned and we’re very grateful we can travel, make it home safely, and pick up our new Kitty!!  We look forward to spending time with our family and friends here now that we are back at our ‘Summer Residence!’ 😉