Approaching the end of our first 6 month of travel, we left Florida, appreciative of the abundant wildlife, warm springs, cuban food, and friends and family we got to see during 6 weeks of travel in this large state. We also left with colds, fatigue, and briefly, with a loss of enthusiasm for travel. We Continue Reading »
This is how to plan a small city: fill it with art and culture so it entertains like a big city, preserve the past, and keep it walkable. Most importantly, assign a full block every 2-3 blocks to a park covered with large oaks providing deep shade, fountains, seating, and amateur musicians. Surround these 21 Continue Reading »
Leaving Mount Dora, we ambled north through the Ocala Forrest, happy to finally have found a campground in Florida with room for us. Unfortunately, we found out why it was relatively empty when a scary, roaring monster sound made Lety crawl under the front seat and made us flinch, even during daylight hours. We learned Continue Reading »
Having driven across miles of Tropicana’s orange groves, one area in flower, scenting the air deliciously, we joined the local’s joke, “climbing Mount Dora”. Sitting 174 feet above the five lakes, it is one of the “high points” of Florida for many reasons. A one hundred year old village with well-maintained victorian homes and a Continue Reading »
Sometimes traveling the US, you realize you can get a bite of a foreign country without leaving home. John Ringling of the eponymous Circus fame, collected an amazing amount of Italian Renaissance art, and set it all among classical gardens and a big pink palace, and he made it free on Mondays. He has one Continue Reading »
We are babies in paradise, with gracious Simon pouring a Francis Coppola 2008 Merlot, as we sit by the fire pit, under the towering oaks in the early evening, with stately Sandhill Cranes afoot in this Markham area. Steven’s cousin Katy, along with her husband, Simon, and their family have been wonderful hosts making this Continue Reading »
I am trying to move into a cool spot. It’s hot or I’m hot. I can’t tell anymore in the heat and humidity of Florida. The dark restaurant parking lot is shared by another RV, a big one about 50 feet away. It is very quiet as usual here at night as the Cracker Barrel Continue Reading »
That 75 degree difference for the high temperature in each locale today explains the good, bad and ugly of Key West, Florida. There is no other place in late January to play in the warm seawater, smell semi-tropical flowers, and lie in the guaranteed sunshine…that you can DRIVE to in the U.S. That is Continue Reading »
We have been learning Argentine Tango where good shoes are crucial. I got a pair custom fit in Clearwater (near Tampa)…sexiest shoes I’ve ever owned! Hum Baby! We also went to a Ballroom Dance Supply store in Miami in search of men’s shoes. Wow! Dancing With The Stars! Amazing costumes! Unfortunately, nothing for tangueros here Continue Reading »
Thanks to cousin Katy’s recommendation – we were lucky enough to spend a three-day break lazing on a small, sleepy barrier island in Florida – St. George Island to be exact. It’s in the panhandle, between Panama City and Tallahassee. Whether foggy or sunny, the wind provided enough chop that kayaking was not a fun Continue Reading »