Quintessentially Key West…

There is never a dull moment in Key West Florida so we felt very fortunate to have been able to spend a week there. What did we do? Not a whole lot because upon arriving in Key West the pace immediately slowed way down allowing us to completely relax while simply enjoying the Island vibe.

The house we stayed at had a fabulous bay view of the turquoise blue waters the Florida Keys are widely known for. Lounging on the back porch became an activity in itself. Also on the porch was a hot tub I actively used as I love to sit and soak. It was fabulous.

In the evening as darkness fell an underwater light came on right near where the owner’s jet skis were parked.I was completely entertained watching schools of fish flit about in the reflected light. Occasionally tarpon as large as 6 feet in length would pass by the light sending the schooling fish in flight, hiding under the jet skis. I even saw a large nurse shark pass by the nighttime lights. Indeed this was a fun and relaxing activity…

Happy hours were another enjoyable activity we both loved while in the Keys. The Keys actually have some of the best happy hours in Florida as they offer inexpensive drinks and eats. Our favorite spots were the Boathouse under the Commodore Hotel and the Half Shell Oyster Bar. We always sat at the bar whenever possible knowing we had to arrive early in order to do so.

Sitting at the bar usually ensured we would meet the people on either side of us and was a great way to get to know new people and maybe make future friends. It is after all, how we first met Kathleen and Jerry, who allowed us the use of their beautiful home in Key West. You never know who you’ll meet as sometimes it is other vacationers or often a local as happened one night when we met a lady who has lived in Key West 23 years.  Everyone we met at happy hours was in a great mood as it seems the island vibe overtakes all who stay in this wonderful place!

Walking down Duval Street prior to Happy Hour, was also a treat for people watching. Often a cruise ship was in port so we would see cruisers or we would pass by  foreign visitors speaking other languages. In addition we noticed many Key West “characters” such as street entertainers or once we saw one gentleman at Sloppy Joe’s wearing only his hotel bathrobe! While walking we would often pause at the bars to listen to the live music mingled with the laughter and conversation of the customers.  It was just such a happy place to be….…

But alas our week ended and we made our way back to Bonita Springs to finish out the month of February as we continue our journeys on our Road of Retirement…

NOTE: We are back at our winter site until March 1st in Bonita Springs, Florida…

Man… We needed a vacation!!! So we took a cruise…

After nearly seven full years on the road, what did we decide we needed? A Carribean Vacation!!! We booked a cruise after finding a screaming deal offered by a discount cruise travel agency. With the ultra cheap package which included all tips, we also received a  $150 dollar onboard credit to spend on anything we wanted!. Even more amazing was a last minute swell offer to upgrade from our guaranteed inside cabin to a balcony ocean view cabin. Sweet!!!

Sunday, January 7th rolled around and we drove the approximately 2 hours from our park over to Fort Lauderdale. We secured parking at Park and Fly and were astonished when we pulled into the parking lot to see a large band of monkeys feeding on the side of the road. These “wild” monkeys reside in the wooded area adjacent to the parking lot.It sure was a cool way to start our trip.

We unloaded our bags and took the shuttle over the Holland American pier to our ship, the Holland America Eurodam. Boarding was delayed slightly but was relatively painless and before we knew it we were aboard the ship eating a nice lunch in the main dining room. The first day at sea was  pretty rough with many cruisers feeling a bit ill due to the rocking ship. I have never had an issue with sea sickness and Sharon used the prescription patches so she also suffered no ill effects.

The ship stopped at four ports; Grand Turk, Sint Martin, San Juan Puerto Rico and Half Moon Cay. We had been to San Juan and Sint Martin before but were amazed at the devastation from Hurricane Irma. We felt sad for those whose lives were disrupted by this viscous storm. However, the spirit of the people in each of the parts was strong and positive. We could definitely see progress being made one nail at a time.

We did a little snorkeling in Grand Turk seeing a few fish but at Half Moon Cay we saw some coral and many brightly colored fish. We also really enjoyed our walkabouts in the other three ports. San Juan’s Old Town appears to be well on its way to recovery even though most of the rest of the island is still suffering from the havoc created by Irma. We did our best to spread a little of our wealth around at each port to assist a little in their recovery. These ports heavily depend on tourism and it was plain to see they took extra effort to ensure the ports were ready to receive ships. At nearly every port we saw two to three other ships docked so hopefully this season will be a big boost to their economies.

It has been 7 years since we have cruised and some things have changed! There was no big sail away band or party and no more elaborate fruit or ice carvings.  However the TVs in the rooms had many more offerings of movies, news channels and ESPN.  Because of the improved TV and of course our awesome balcony, we spent a little more time in the room than we had on past cruises.  One beautiful sunny day we were fully entertained watching a Ganet bird diving into the waves for fish.  The flying fish shimmered in the sunlight while soaring out of harms way. We also enjoyed the views from the balcony at each port so it in itself was really one of the highlights of the trip!

After seven nights we returned to Fort Lauderdale Florida and disembarked without any issue. We loved our seven night hiatus from our normal RV lifestyle coming back energized to continue our repairs and modifications as planned for this long winter stay.  The trip was fun but it was nice to see our beautiful ten year old home on wheels...

NOTE: We are now in our winter home until March 1st in Bonita Springs Florida at Imperial Bonita Estates RV park and Coop.

Mini-Vacation to Norfolk Virginia

Staying at our friend's farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia has been like a vacation. But then came another opportunity for a mini vacation as we accepted the invitation of one of our friends. They have a house in downtown Norfolk which was going to be empty for four nights.  It has been a while since we visited the city so we were anxious to see it again as it is a very vibrant, walkable city and the RV is happily snuggled in at the farm so off we went..

Norfolk, known for its mermaids, is a long 4 hour drive from the farm but is really a nice scenic drive through the rolling hills. We stopped to pick up some groceries before driving into town and once we got settled we immediately headed out for a walk to reacquaint ourselves with the city.

Our friend's house is near the Chrysler Museum and is just a short walk to the center of town. We pretty much walked all over town each and every day we were there. The downtown area has tons of bars and restaurants as well as a large mall. This makes walking in the city fun while at the same time we got plenty of exercise.

The harbor walk reflects the city's naval presence and the Armed Forces Memorial with the plaques of letters written by our military men to their loved ones is an emotional experience for sure. Also docked here is the magnificent USS Wisconsin. The Waterside District is where we spent most of our evenings as there was a lively bar we enjoyed right in the middle of all the action.

Best of all on Friday our daughter made the two hour drive up from Raleigh and spent two nights with us. A coup considering we weren’t sure when we would see her again. When life opens doors leading to opportunities, by all means we try to jump through every one of them we can.

While in Norfolk we did visit the Chrysler Art Museum as well as the General Douglas MacArthur museum. Both museums were interesting and a great stop on hot days. We ate out on several occasions taking full advantage of Sharon’s app on her phone called Retail Me Not which led us to several buy-one-get-one-free opportunities. Anytime we can save a few bucks we are always pretty happy as it allows us more entertainment dollars to spend elsewhere.

We really had a blast spending four nights in Norfolk but it was time to return back to the farm. We drove a longer route back so we could take in part of the Skyline Drive as well as making a stop for happy hour at one of our favorite Virginia Breweries – Blue Mountain Brewery. A few hours later we were back at the farm looking back out over the Shenandoah Valley…. Boy we are so lucky to have met such wonderful people during our travels on our Road of Retirement…

NOTE: We plan to stay here in the Shenandoah Valley until the end of the month and then move on northwards.

Flying to North Carolina for Katie’s Graduation…...

We had only one day to get things in order after Katie left before flying out to see her graduation ceremony in North Carolina. Packing for a flight the next day was a bit challenging since we haven’t flown in over 5 years!  Wednesday morning we packed up the RV, hooked up the car and headed north toward Phoenix a bit before 8:00 am, super early for us.

The day before I checked traffic on google maps and noticed that we should plan for 20 to 30 minutes of delays due to the morning rush hour in Phoenix. We had to drive through Phoenix over to the Freightliner Shop in Tolleson Arizona. When we were in Montana this past August I  called to set up a Thursday appointment explaining that we could drop off the RV on Wednesday but wouldn’t be able to pick it up until Monday morning since we were flying out of state. They said no problem so we had a place for the RV while we were away and even better it would have its annual maintenance done by the time we returned on Monday!

In the RV with the car in tow we saw there were 30 minute delays but we scooted over to the HOV lane and really only had minimal delays totalling less than 5 minutes. It makes one wonder why people don’t carpool and save 30 minutes of their life each way to work. We pulled into the freightliner dealer and unhooked the car. Fortunately one of the 50 amp sites was empty so we backed into it, plugged in and went to the office to check in.

The poor customer service skills we experienced the day before had thankfully vanished and we were greeted by a pleasant fellow who assured us everything would be taken care of while we were gone and we would see them again on Monday.It must have been just a bad day the first day we met him.

We hopped in the CRV and drove over to the place I reserved on-line for airport parking. We parked the car and caught the free shuttle to the airport. Security turned out to be a breeze since we were pre-checked and didn’t have to take our shoes off or take anything out of our bags. I am not sure how we were pre-checked but it made going through security very easy.

Our flight from the Phoenix airport was on time and we had no problem with our connecting flight in Atlanta. We  arrived in Raleigh by 7:10 pm and Katie was there to pick us up. Our dreaded travel day actually was a breeze. Now the only challenge will be trying to remain warm in frigid NC while attending pre-ceremony activities and Katie’s formal graduation from Physical Therapy school.

NOTE: Today’s pictures are of sunsets from San Diego and Arizona as we are now in very cold Raleigh NC visiting our daughter. We returned December 19th to Tolleson AZ to pick up our RV and move over to Gold Canyon, AZ.