Hello All!
I am so sorry to have been gone so long but Alan has been
doing a great job keeping you informed! I have been lucky enough to work with
my sweet friend from college, Beth Garst, on some online work! It has been a
financial saving grace and we so appreciate her thinking outside the box and
helping hook us up! (PLEASE keep us in mind if you need anything digital done!)
I have been really busy with the online App Review and we’ve been moving around
and also, I have been deep in thought about, well, what to tell you!!
On the one hand,
we want desperately to tell you all the amazing things we are up to. On the
other, we don’t want it to sound like a big fat Nanny nanny Booger to you when
we do! Many days I just revel in the
blessings of our life and try to take it all in. It has, honestly, taken me
weeks to fully understand that we are here, in this gorgeous place. It’s seemed
unreal for a long time, remember, I’m a mountain girl! This is all stuff I’ve
seen in movies! 
Alas, real life peaks in on occasion.
It seems that
everything costs three times what it should and twice what we expected so it
isn’t really a “luxury” tour but it’s been so filled with so many amazing
experiences that we don’t even notice the little things anymore.
For example, Alan finally made the jump to off brand mayo today, it was a big moment.
It’s big Daddy’s
birthday on Monday and also when he starts work at this KOA so we celebrated by
doing some sight seeing in our new area. Yesterday we went down to Sanibel
Island and looked around and had Gator, which is my new favorite food. I am contemplating
how I can raise Llama, bees and gators simultaneously. Maybe that is just
asking for trouble…
Our sweet friends
Don and Merri, whom we met when we worked with Jon and Sally in Massachusetts,
are in Florida. It’s a coincidence that we are just up the road from their
gorgeous National Park, Lover’s Key. I bet they think we are stalking them! We
stopped by to see them and they took us to their beach, it was breathtaking!
(They do a big vow renewal there on V-day that Alan and I will be doing, come
on down!!!!) I am in awe of the sheer volume of shells on the beaches there! It
seems each beach down here has it specialty and they have some gorgeous shells
along with sugar-y white sand and a tram…and a concession stand… and wildlife…
and really clean bathrooms…
Today for birthday Hanukah we took Alan on
an airboat tour in the Everglades. It was, obviously, awesome! I’m amazed at
the people we meet. Whizzing through the swamp in an airboat at a million miles
per hour, constantly on the verge of being tipped over into the gator infested
muck was pretty cool but as always, the guide was pretty interesting too! This
time it was Jerry, of “Captain Doug’s Airboat tours.” He had no problem wheeling us around in circles,
in and out of overhangs, zipping around all while never once putting out his
Marlboro Red. He told us that the Gator had
three sets of lids, and detailed the purpose of each one. He did the same with
the very friendly Raccoons that came up to us, who, by the way are NOT
nocturnal here, rather they come and go based on the high and low tide. Then he
told us all about how the Everglades are a vital link in the food chain and why...
AH-Mazing-ING!
I have so much
more to share with you! But alas, the no-see-ums are invading and I have very
little data left so more next time….
Happy travels,
From Paradise!
