Florida Farewell

It is with sadness that we pack up for the drive home. We will leave in the morning and hope for fair weather for a few days. This has been an interesting two months away from home. We have not done many of the tourist things we did last year, but we have settled in to a full schedule and concentrated on self-improvement and new skills. It has been a wonderful break.

Our hosts, Joyce and Roy, have been there to suggest places and things to do, and help us out, even when we lock the keys inside and go away, or turn off the wrong switch so we shut off the hot water. They have created a wonderful little place that is cute and homey. They are the perfect hosts.

Each of us has stretched our minds and bodies a little bit during this time. The gym has been great for us. Louise is actually comfortable in the pool without her floater. The swimming has a long way to go, but progress has been made. Both of us have developed a routine that makes us feel better. Gary's experiences with watercolor painting has uncovered a real joy and talent. We post here a picture he painted last night, of a Florida sunset. Louise has knit some wonderful projects and discovered a group of knitters who have become friends. Mostly there is an ease of living here, without the cold and snow and coats and boots. You can be active and on the go without the cares of trying to fight the cold. We will return next year.

But now it is time to return to our other life, the friends and family we have missed, and the trials and joys of a late winter in Aroostook County. There are just eleven states to travel through to get there.

Farewell to Cocoa Beach for a few months!

The Artist and his work

Gary has used this time in Florida to develop a

talent and skill. He is still painting away and he hates to stop for a few days as we relocate. We haven't posted photos of his work for some time, so today we will show you photos of the work he has done.

The Brevard Zoo

Cold has returned to Florida today, as temperatures in the 30s hit this morning. Louise had a final swimming lesson, so we ventured out in our jackets again. Gary pursued his exercise while Louise practiced in the pool that was about 90 degrees. This afternoon we finally made our visit to the Brevard Zoo. Having been to a few zoos, this one is a great one. The birds and animals have lots of space, not a lot of confined cages, and the bird calls and wooded walks make it a great experience. Despite the chill, we had a good day. We share with you some pictures from the zoo.

Our days here are numbered

now as we prepare to go home, starting the trip north on Sunday. The Toyota got a clean bill of health yesterday from the local Toyota dealership, and we are preparing for the move. Certainly the weather in most of the eastern part of the country

doesn't make a trip north very attractive at this time!

A Day with Leslie

Yesterday we went to visit Leslie. She has been living in Florida for years now, and she took us to the zoo. We also visited with Allison, and her grandson, Ashton. We had a lovely time, after we first got lost and ended up on I-4 headed to Daytona. When we got back together again the day went very quickly, remembering old times and catching up on the news. Here we have pictures of sand hill cranes we met along the road, Ashton by himself, with Allison, and with Gary. The goats were enjoying the sun!

Afternoon with the birds!

We spent this afternoon at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, walking through the

paths at the center, and then driving along the Black Point Wildlife Drive. It was a crisp day, with some sun but temperatures in the low 50s. The woods were full of birds, and we had several sightings of a rare one, the roseate spoonbill. The pictures will show you why it is called by this name. If anyone knows the name of the white bird with the fancy hair do, please let us know.

Beautiful Sunset!

We are in another gray funk in Florida. It actually snowed today in northern Florida. We didn't have snow, but we had torrential rain. The cold nights have turned the palm trees brown. The sea grape leaves have dried up and are falling off. The temperature has been in the 30s at night and 50s during the day. So lacking the expected climate, we are carrying on with our activities. We have a well-established gym routine, Gary is painting, and Louise is knitting. We have wanted to get some sunset pictures for the blog, and Gary hit it right on the mark tonight. Despite the dreary day, the sunset was spectacular.

Carnival Cruise to the Bahamas

Thursday, February 4, we embarked on a cruise to the Bahamas, our first experience at cruising. Our ship was the Sensation, a medium-sized cruise ship. While in the Bahamas we saw the Oasis of the Seas, the largest cruise ship afloat.

Our first day we discovered how difficult it was to walk on a moving ship. We lurched along, losing our balance. Our stateroom was much nicer and larger than we expected. It was spotlessly kept by the crew, and the king sized bed was most comfortable. It was nice to have a window so we could see the water going by. Most of the trip involved high winds and rough seas, so we were rocked to sleep by the waves of the Atlantic. The weather was cloudy

and windy, so upper decks were off limits much of the time, and sitting in the sun was not possible on the full day at sea. We were placed on the late dining list, eating dinner at 8:15. We became friends with a couple from Illinois who shared our table. The food had fancy names and the quality of the meals varied. We had a Maine lobster tail one night.

On Day 2 we docked in Nassau in the Bahamas. We disembarked from the ship and took a water taxi to Paradise Island, a site of many resorts and movie star homes. We visited the Atlantis Resort, the largest of the resorts. There are pictures of this incredible place included. Michael Jackson had the suite over the arch in the resort. Oprah also broadcast from this site. We walked down streets of grand shops designed for the tourists. In Nassau we shopped briefly in the straw market, a huge tent-like structure with aisles and hundreds of locals selling their wares. Bartering and haggling were part of the process in this place. We returned to the ship foot-sore and sunburned. It was a lovely day in a lovely place.

The evening meal was a formal affair, and we have included a picture of us dressed up for dinner. The promenade and public areas of this ship were elegant, with purple the dominant color, Glass elevators and bright neon lights accompanied gambling in a casino, little night clubs with live music, and evening shows of live entertainment in an auditorium that seated over 2,000 people.

Saturday was spent aboard ship, relaxing and exploring. We read in several quiet areas, and even tried the slot machines briefly. The wind and waves kept people off the decks for most of the day.

We concluded this adventure this morning with a 4:30 AM trip to the deck, in bathrobes, to watch the shuttle launch. It was cancelled at the last minute, but we would have had the perfect viewing of it, just a few miles off Cape Canaveral. Perhaps we will get up again at 4 AM tomorrow morning?

Getting Ready

We drove up to Cape Canaveral this afternoon to try to get a picture of the ship we will sail on tomorrow, but we didn't see it. We are busy packing and quite excited about this cruise adventure. Here we have two contrasting pictures to show what it has been like this week. Monday and Tuesday were gray and angry as you can see. The weather did clear up today, as this sunset shows, but it feels like fall, chilly and windy. We really haven't had any hot weather since we have been here. Perhaps the day in the Bahamas will finally be warm and sunny. We will take lots of pictures of the next few days.