Hello, My Friends!

Hello to family and friends!  Several of you have asked why I have not posted an article in over a week.  I would like to reassure you that I have not been slacking off!  My reasoning is that during the holidays, you all have better things to do than to visit our blog!  We have been keeping busy here, mostly

Did you know...

They say we are never too old to learn something new.  Well, that certainly proved to be true for us this week.  As you know, we have begun a new hobby:  Seashell collecting.  Following a very productive day at the beach Wednesday,

Fort Pickens

Today, we visited Fort Pickens, one of three forts originally built in the 19th century (by slaves) to protect the Florida coast.  As it turned out, tourists were restricted to the fort only, which was somewhat disappointing, but we snooped around and ended up having a very enjoyable day after all.  I am certain that, under normal circumstances,

Dinner in Destin...

The treat was on me and we were pleased with our choice of eatery.  Following a lovely afternoon of shopping at the Destin Outlets (huge outlets!), we had a nice relaxing dinner at

Is this Florida or Ottawa?!

According to our map, we are definitely in Florida, but we wonder if we might have taken a wrong turn somewhere along the way!  Other than the odd mild day here or there,

The Ranger is in Town!

Yes, folks, we have received our brand-spanking new WiFi Ranger! Marc installed it immediately (hmmm, wonder why?!) and we tested it soon thereafter.  We are happy to report that, so far, it seems to be serving its purpose.  The speed is much improved, as is connectivity.  Of course, as they say:  The proof is in the pudding.  As far as we are concerned, the pudding is Skype.  If we are able to Skype, with video, we will be very happy campers.  More news coming soon...........

Fort Walton Beach



This guy joined us for lunch

The sun was shining, the temperature was nice and mild (as in above 10 degrees celcius!), so off we went to Fort Walton Beach.  We started out by

Crossing Our Fingers!

Actually, we are crossing anything we can think to cross, even our eyes!  As you know, we have been experiencing very frustrating problems with our internet.  We are lucky to be

Day Trip to Pensacola

Today, we drove to Pensacola via Santa Rosa Island.  We decided to get a bit of shopping done but quickly discovered that the Christmas rush has begun. 

Destin Beckoned...

Today, we visited Destin, Florida, a picturesque city on the Gulf, located 14 miles east of Navarre, and only a few short miles east of Fort Walton Beach

Navarre Beach

Yesterday, we drove to Navarre Beach, centrally located on Santa Rosa Island, a strip of unincorporated land off the

Paradise!

As promised in a previous post, we will now share the goods on our new home base:  Emerald Beach RV Park.  What a little gem!  It is not a large park by RV park standards, but it definitely packs a punch and wins the prize for location and overall appearance.  There are

Technical Difficulties!

We have arrived at Emerald Beach RV Park in Navarre, Florida.  If you ask us, we would have to say we have found Paradise!  We will write further in a coming post, but for now, we need to inform our readers that the internet here is terrible!  And it's not included in the camping fee;  we had to pay for the service (I use this term VERY loosely!).  So please bear with us..... We will try to keep you posted, little bits at a time!

As We See It!

Today is our second day at Emerald Beach RV Park in Navarre, Florida, and we are just beginning to discover the beauty which surrounds us.  It is a beautiful day, although very windy and

Strange Things!

Marc and I found a secluded beach inlet and stepped out of the truck to admire the view.  Within minutes, we found ourselves surrounded by the strangest-looking birds we had ever seen. 

No Wal-Mart Parking Lot For Us!

For those of you who have been following our travels and adventures, you will remember that we thought we would be homeless on New Year's day and the entire week following that holiday.  The good news is we will

An Observation Or Two...

Before we leave Winter Haven and head north to Navarre,  I wanted to share with you what our daughter would call insignificant facts.  So, fair warning...this will not be mind-blowing stuff!

First of all, I would like to say

St. Petersburg and Madeira Beach

On Tuesday, we spent a very enjoyable day in St. Petersburg (1.5 hrs. from Winter Haven).  Friends from Ottawa who own a home there invited us to lunch.  About 50 miles outside of Winter Haven, we drove

Trip Down Memory Lane!

This post is dedicated to all those who remember parking at the A & W Drive-In and ordering your food from the comfort of your car, then having it delivered

Old Town

We were definitely caught in a time warp!  On Wednesday, Marc and I spent the evening in Old Town, Kissimmee, Florida.  And Old Town is certainly aptly named:  It is a small town (approx. 5 square blocks) in which

Our new feathery friends!

We have frequent visitors here at Cypress RV Park...and the odd concert or two as well!  Our friendly visitors are none other than Sandhill Cranes.  These birds are very tall (approx. 3.5 feet), extremely loud and

Bok Tower Gardens

We have just returned from spending three hours at the lovely 250-acre (1 square kilometer) Bok Tower Gardens sanctuary located just a few short miles from where we are staying.  The amazing gardens were

Good News!

We will be moving in two weeks to another area of Florida: Navarre (in the Panhandle). We were becoming more and more frustrated by the fact that

Seminole Hard Rock Casino-Tampa

Yesterday, we broke down and made a quick trip to the nearest Casino,  the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, located in Tampa, one hour west of Winter Haven.  This photo will show

Loving Our New Home...!

Due to recent (today!) technical difficulties, you will notice my last post has disappeared.  I am still a newbie where blogs are concerned and mistakenly erased the post.  I wish I could blame this one on Marc but, alas, I must own up to it.

To the right of this post, you will see pictures of our new temporary

The Agony And The Agony...!

There was no ecstasy to be found today in the Guilbault RV!  Campground Management found a better spot for us, one which offered 50-amp service, as had been promised when we originally reserved a few months back.  Since the new site was located just across the road from where we were,

To Cry or Not To Cry?

My inclination at this point was to cry.  We had a plan...then life happened.  Despite having had the truck checked out thoroughly at Arnprior Ford before heading out, that Murphy's Law guy reared his ugly head!  Having said goodbye to our co-workers, we hit the road, feeling slightly giddy with excitement.  Destination:  Akwesasne Mohawk Casino, just south of Cornwall.

The truck brakes had been grinding that morning, but we decided to wait until we reached Maryland to have them checked out, but by the time we reached Cornwall, it was obvious there was something seriously wrong.  So off to Cornwall Ford we went...

Juanita's Journey

First things first...

I'm sure most of you are wondering:  Who the heck is Juanita? Well, two years ago, Marc and I visited Puerto Vallarta and, upon our arrival, quickly headed to the beach for a look around.  This is where we met Juanita, a sweet-as-pie Mexican beach vendor who was determined to sell us

Mexico on hold!

Due to the escalating violence at or near most U.S.-Mexico border crossings, we have opted to skip Mexico this year.  But stay tuned...We are determined to make it there next year!

Let's hit the road!

As many of you can attest, we have been planning our retirement for a very long time.  If I were to venture a guess, I'd have to say at least 5 years.  So heading out at this point is simply icing on the cake! 

Now, we must confess...