Friday, Dec. 28 - The year is fast winding down, amid much uncertainty in the economic and political spheres here in the U.S. As you may gather, we're able to access t.v. programming again, after a very pleasant hiatus for most of the time we've been away. Now we're watching CNN, local news and MSNBC, and finding out how crazy things are. Troops out of Syria and Afghanistan by order of his Exalted Craziness. Close the entire southern border, or give me 5 Billion samoles for the wall. The pundits think the madness has increased exponentially, and wonder if the Republicans will finally see the light and do something. And the stock market bounces up and down as though on a trampoline.

Meanwhile, here we are in Schalamar Creek, looking after an 18 year old cat named Bailey while her parents are off to Costa Rica. There's a big storm whacking the whole eastern half of the country, except here, where it'll be 80F today. Lots of airport departure delays. Hopefully that's not the case in Toronto, where Dave and Evi have joined their family for the journey south. They had to go north to go south, because it's much cheaper to fly to Toronto, then to Costa Rica, than it is to fly directly from Florida. Go figure that.

We had a lovely Christmas dinner here, and enjoyed a nice Boxing Day with Dave and Evie before they had to leave early yesterday morning. Dave and I played golf, (Evie loaned me her clubs, which worked well...84 with 5 three putt greens), while the ladies did some shopping and park orientation. Yesterday, Gail and I did a big walk around part of the park, then rode our bikes another 11 kms around the rest of the park. It's quite sizable, as those distances would indicate, and has all the facilities the residents could ask for: two pools, hot tub, golf course, tennis courts, pickleball courts, library, crafts room, restaurant. A really active community of mostly northern Americans and a lot of Canadians, mostly from Ontario.

So this week will give us some insight into life in such a facility. Not that we're at a point of wanting to do anything but ramble in our r.v., but it does provide food for thought for future planning.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas Day. From contacts we've had to date, looks like everyone had great times and will continue to do so for the rest of the holidays. Hopefully sister Marilyn will find a way to get over this infection that is knocking her back. We think of you all, friends and family, and wish you all the best for the rest of these quieter times. Let's hope sanity somehow returns to this part of the world, as the rest of the world needs more stability than we're experiencing at this time.

That's it for now. We will go exploring outside the park today, probably over to Lakeland. More later. Stay tuned.

Tuesday, Dec. 25 - We wish the world, our friends and family, a HAPPY AND PEACEFUL CHRISTMAS SEASON. We hope you have a wonderful day.

The top photo is our little outdoor Christmas tree, which we shared with the park. There are lights all over the park, with candles lit in old milk containers in front of every site. As well, as you can see from the third picture, Santa even finds people in R.V. parks.

Today we pack up to go to the Forsyths for Christmas dinner, and to stay while they head off to Costa Rica with their family. We've had nice days here in New Port Ritchie for the past two days, so managed to do some good biking. Gail set a new record as we did 52 kilometers on Saturday. She did some shopping yesterday while I did the same route yesterday. So we're in pretty good shape for our stay at Shalamar Creek.

Have a Happy Happy Day. More later. Stay tuned.

Friday, Dec. 21 - Gotta love computers. I just finished my latest posting, sneezed, the mouse went flying from the impact, and I lost the posting. So I start over again. This one will be much better (and shorter).

Weather has been the big news since our last message. On our way to the Gulf side, we hit rain, as reported, near Lakeland. And the weather has been the pits ever since. Tornado warnings, high wind warnings, heavy rain warnings. We got warned to the nth degree. And some of it came true. Great sheets of rain night before last and a good part of yesterday. Big winds that came in last night around midnight, and shook our poor little r.v. But thankfully no tornados.

We did get a break later in the afternoon yesterday, so did a good hike over to the shopping area about a kilometer from here. Toured the big Kohl's store, to see how the Christmas shopping was going (4 cashiers with a line-up...not like Beds Baths and Beyond in Stuart where there were 9 cashiers going with a big line-up). The economy doesn't seem to be suffering here.

Then we found the pub that we'd discovered last year, Beef O'Brady's, and had a beer. Good group of regulars who provided the entertainment with their kibitzing. Back at the park, there was the usual Thursday night music show, which we enjoyed, as it was a Christmas music sing-along, complete with some karaoke tunes. Everyone joined in with vigor.

So we managed to put in the day quite nicely. Today, however, the wind continues to blow big-time, and it's now raining. We go from sunshine to showers, and will probably have this most of the day. Fact is, we're getting some heavy rain and hail as I write. Crazy Florida weather. Not what you'd call a good day for biking. Wow! It's really coming down. Have to remember that this peninsula called Florida sticks out in the middle of two large bodies of water, so it's no surprise stuff like this happens.

Anyway, we'll put in the day, and survive quite nicely, as tomorrow is supposed to be clearer, but with temps only at 16C. Good for biking? Hope so, as we need some serious exercise.

I'll attach some photos from our time in Palm City, and hope I don't sneeze again. Hope everyone is well as school closes down for the holidays, and as final preps for Christmas are completed. Stay tuned. More later.

Tuesday, Dec. 18 - Tomorrow is our grand-daughter Clare's 21st  birthday. We are and will be thinking of her, and will try to get a call through to wish her a happy happy day.

We've had a fine time visiting Joyce and Lily since Sunday. We are staying a day longer than planned, as two days simply wouldn't have been enough. Lily is a great little pup, full of life, and very well-behaved, so it's been fun to get to know her better. Joyce dotes on her, for good reason, and truly enjoys the company that Lily provides.

We've had several outings, for dinner at a favorite place of Joyce's and the MacKays, a seafood house called Lola's. Excellent quality in an informal setting. Next day Joyce took us to an even more informal setting for lunch, Porky 'n' Beans, a BBQ set-up next to a Farmer's Market. Their pulled pork was excellent and plentiful, so we settled for a bowl of soup for supper. I had a great chat with the owner, who has a four-man crew working the operation. He described all of the equipment he has on his big truck...freezer, bbq cookers, and so on. He is doing this set-up only as a filler until the events bbq circuit begins. A whole new world to me, as he moves around the country with his crew, from Florida to California, back to Maine, and then to the south again. They criss-cross the country taking part in bbq competitions, which are tied to blues or jazz or other events. Their product is judged, winners declared, with the biggest prize being in Reno where the winners get 10 grand. Who'd have guessed. Some of the fairs get many thousands of people, so they have a huge set-up, able to feed hundreds, even thousands during the event. He has to add to his crew by hiring locals, and certainly has to have a firm handle on his supply chain. Quite a business!!

Today we did downtown Stuart, which we always enjoy. Lunch at Duffy's Sports Grill, which was very good, and then a shopping tour of the main street, followed by a stroll along the harbour. Stuart is a nice town, although getting busier with more people each passing year. Just like the rest of Florida, which now numbers 22 million. We'll have a nice evening with Joyce and Mimi.

I have to mention Saturday's events. Huge black clouds rolled in, so Gail said 'no' to a bike ride. I couldn't resist, so set out, only to get caught in the rain, forced to seek shelter under a bridge. The rain seemed to let up, so on I went, only to run into it again, forced to huddle under a tree. That happened three times, as I seemed to be following the progress of the rain instead of the opposite. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer, me. Could have turned around, but too stubborn.

That night, we decided a pub visit was in order, so we walked 40 minutes to the nearest one, called Atlantis Bar and Grill. It was like a true local, as it was clearly filled with regulars, most of whom knew each other, all of whom were at least as old as we are. An older woman comes in, and her drink is in front of her without her having to say what she wants. Then an older guy sits beside us...same thing. He was quiet, until I asked him how he was doing. "Not too good,", he replied. "Got a lot of issues to deal with."

Of course, the old counsellor in me let him open up, which was hopefully good for him. His wife is in the last stages of lung cancer (his fourth wife, he being her third husband). "How about kids? Any around to provide support?" "Yeah, I have two daughters and she has two. But not much help. One of my daughters lives in Houston, so I seldom see her. The other got into a cult 25 years ago, who convinced her that she had been molested by me (looking for money from me), and I haven't spoken to her in all those years. My wife's one daughter lives with us, but she's not much help, as she has little social skill...no boyfriends or girlfriends, no interest in others. And the other daughter is just the opposite, a lesbian street person who is not allowed anywhere inside our gated community."

So you think you'v got problems? a weird family? Poor guy! He's 83, with not much to bring any sunshine into his days. He told us he was trying some over-the-counter drug to lift his spirits, which seemed to work until late afternoon, at which point he crashes. We encouraged him to see his family doctor on Monday to get something more effective, as he thought the product was prednazone, which we found hard to believe was available without a prescription. Tried to leave him on a positive note, although hard to find something encouraging.

Anyway, that's it for now. We move on to New Port Ritchie tomorrow, having had a great visit with Joyce. More later. Stay tuned.

Saturday, Dec 15 - Today is our last day at Lake Worth, which is a little sad, as we like the park a lot. But it's time for the gypsies to move on, so tomorrow we'll head for Palm City and a couple of days with our good friend Joyce Brant. We'll have a great visit with her, and get all caught up on the latest.

We had to change sites yesterday, as we were only able to get 5 days on the nice site we'd negotiated upon our arrival. So we took advantage of the fact that we had to uproot to head off to a couple of wildlife centers not too far away from here. Both are located at water processing areas run by the county. They have created rather large areas that allow for the treatment of both fresh and recycled water, at the same time providing a home for a wide variety of wildlife. This also provides a great spot for we humans, as there are extensive boardwalks that allow us to get very close to a variety of bird species. Something we should be doing more of in Canada.

The second picture is quite hilarious, as a large iguana (about 6 feet, Gail reminds me, to reinforce my earlier error in saying they only grow to 3 feet...forgot about their tails) had climbed to the top of a tree normally 'reserved ' for nesting herons and other large shorebirds. How he got there we don't know. Maybe he's going through a personality change, thinking he's a bird. How would that fit in on the LGBTQ scale?

Next is an anhinga, drying out his/her feathers, since they are not oiled (like our cormorants). Then, a mother heron fluffing up her feathers while taking a break from tending her eggs. And finally a grand-daddy gator.

Good fun for lots of people yesterday. We also found some new guys, which I won't bore you with. Except to say we think we saw a Louisiana heron, which we'd never heard of, a purple gallinule, and a couple of warblers we'd not seen before. We don't keep a life list, as we're too lazy. Just enjoy.

Last night we watched the Christmas parade of boats go by. About 20 of them, decorated for Christmas with loads of lights, follow a fancied-up barge from which they blast off all kinds of fireworks. They do the perimeter of the lake, and have a great time. We should do the same in Picton Harbour. Except we'd have to do it in early October, which is rushing the season way too much.

Finally, Gail tried out her new Instant Pot on Thursday. It took a lot of work to get an instant dinner, about two hours worth of heavy labour. She wasn't totally happy with the results, but the male consumer of the household was quite content. It's a learning situation, and an interesting diversion from the usual camping meals.

That's it for now. We move tomorrow. Should mention that after we visit Joyce, we're going to the other side, to New Port Ritchie, where we were for a week last year. Then we go to our friends, the Forsyths, for Christmas, and stay on while they go to Costa Rica with family. We'll house-sit and look after Bailey the Cat. After that, Homosassa for a few days, then see what the weather promises for heading west. No moss on these rolling stones. (Can't believe we've scheduled ourselves so far ahead.) 

Stay tuned. More later.

The top two photos are friends of Gail, part of the clan that she has adopted during out stays here in Lake Worth. Cedric is on the branch, while Sydney is checking out the food supply. They don't eat anything but vegetation, apparently, so need to worry about being attacked.
The middle pic is one of nearly 2 dozen white-tails we saw as we drove along the Skyline Trail in Virginia. Well worth the drive if you get a chance, as there are wonderful views, too many to take in along the route. The bottom two photos are two of many taken.
Hope this posting works. Stay tuned. More later.

Tuesday, Dec 11 - Cool today, sunny with a strong north-westerly wind, temps not likely reaching 20 today. Yesterday was quite fine, so no complaints, as it's supposed to get warmer and less windy again tomorrow. Minus 1 is the high at home, so we aren't complaining one little bit.

Yesterday was good for riding, so the writer did two circuits, plus a trip down to the local convenience store for a 6 pack. Total: 46 kms, as the circuit around the lake is very close to 20 kms from our site. Gail did a full circuit and most of another for close to 35 kms. Along the way on the first run, Gail counted 25 iguanas. They continue to multiply at what may eventually become an alarming rate. They're not a nuisance yet, but we met two folks today along our route, who had visited a large cemetery in Fort Lauderdale to do some birding, and found the place overrun with iguanas. The lady said it was creepy, as you'd step into the grass and there'd be furious activity as several of the creatures darted hither and thither. There are so many of them there, that there are apparently plans to do some culling to keep the numbers under control.

Gail finds them fascinating, which indeed they are. We have one in our back yard, and he doesn't bother us at all. Most of them are quite shy, so that if you get near them, they scuttle off at great speed. But we did meet a couple of large ones today that were sitting quietly on the sidewalk, not interested in moving even though we were right beside them. Size? They range from a foot to 3 feet, and can be quite chunky, as well as beautifully colored. I'll have to post a picture or two.

Today, because of the strong wind, G opted to stay home to try to figure out her new Instant Pot. I did my circuit, sailing along when the wind was behind, struggling to stay upright when facing it. At one point, with the sun behind me, I saw the shadow of a cyclist before me, leaning aggressively into the handlebars, lean as a greyhound, legs pumping effortlessly, clearly an elite rider out for a little run in preparation for a championship race. Wait! That's me! My fantasy was quickly snapped when a grey-haired guy clearly older than me went whipping past on my left, leaving me in the dust. Funny how you can feel like you're doing great and then something like that brings you back to reality. Can't hit a golf ball as far as I used to either. But what the hell? Still swingin'. Still pedaling.

This afternoon we set out to try to find a Publix grocery store. The nearest one is a considerable distance away, so by the time we'd walked for 45 minutes along busy streets, we reached the far end of our cycling path, still some distance from the store. So who needs food anyway? We headed back down our trail around the lake, and two hours of trudging later were back to our site for the last rays of the weakening sun. Just a little weary, but feelin' good. Time for a drink.

One other thing. In certain parts of the park, there are a lot of homeless people. We did a short-cut on the way home, and came across about a dozen of them, sitting around a picnic table, or sleeping under trees or in the shelter of the outhouse building. Their stuff was all over the place, a real little community of lost souls. Obviously the local authorities don't chase them away, as their piles of stuff looked somewhat permanent. There's another group that hang around a corner on our trail, and each time I've gone past, they are sharing humour with large peals of laughter. None of them ever bothers anybody. And there are always a few folks, mostly black or Hispanic, just wandering the trail, some looking pretty lonely, of varying ages, mostly male. Thank goodness most have their own communities for company and support. Count your blessings, every day.

That's all for now. Thanks for listening. More later. Stay tuned.