Sunny Florida ? What Happened?

"Dreams will get you nowhere, a good kick in the pants will take you a long way." B. Gracian

Sometimes I post daily. Sometimes I don't have time to post. And, that's been the story over the last week. It's certainly not because we've not done a thing. It's because we've been extremely busy and by the time dark rolls around (which happens to be very early) I'm ready to turn in. Now that might mean sitting on the sofa and watching a movie or really turning in.

I also received my Windows 7 in the mail and have been upgrading my computer. Tracking down all the new drivers for the previously installed programs can be challenging and time consuming.

Florida isn't all palm trees, warm weather, white beaches, seashells and sunny skies. For some reason that's what we figured it was. I think that's because we have spent more time in southern Florida than in northern Florida. The northern Gulf of Florida is loaded with pine trees with a few planted palm trees around but not a lot. The gorgeous white beaches are lush with loads of seashells. However, the warm weather and sunny skies are intermittent. We have had more than our share of rain. We have had a lot of rain. Actually, we have had too much rain.

Last night another winter storm hit the area and is predicted to hang around for another couple of days. It brought lots of rain, wind and thunder. This morning I viewed the new lakes throughout the park. Even our screen house is halfway in the water. Wind and more rain is in store for today. What's going on here? I want sunshine and warm weather!

And, this was while there were still roads to travel on .... it got a lot worse. I had to put on sandals to wade

to Joe's place in nearly half a foot of water.....>

We have had sunny days but not an awful lot since we've been here. The other day we took a perfect drive with Lee and MaryJane. We spent the sunny morning sea shelling on the beach and then went into the town of Apalachicola for lunch .... just in time to miss the gray clouds and rain. This is quite a cute little town. It's an old town with unique shops and lots of fishing boats. Here's one I particularly liked ... the Capt. Justin.

There have been some gorgeous sunsets. Tuesday we had another visit at Toucan's... the only restaurant in this town that actually has beachfront dining. We ate dinner and watched the sunset. If your timing is right, you can watch the dolphins swim by. We've only seen them once but it was fascinating.

Yesterday, Mr. Spiker pulled into town. We visited and then took off for the Fish House with Lee and MJ. It isn't all fish or Terry might not be going with us but they have lots of variety in their menu. We've not had a bad meal in any of the local restaurants. Perfect friends, perfect beach, perfect food ... just waiting for perfect weather.

A lot of folks in the park go fishing. The only fishing we're familiar with is west coast fishing and to top that off our fishing poles are still there. So, we'll probably just keep them there. There aren't a lot of activities in the park but a few. The owners pass out a monthly calendar but it doesn't seem that many folks participate. The one thing they do participate in is the Wednesday morning breakfasts. And, that's where we'll head this morning.

There is a group of people that have been coming here every year for hundreds of years (I'm embellishing that just a bit). They all have stayed together for some time. Needless to say, they know each other well. Some are friendly and some aren't so much. They organize an eating-out-event every Wednesday night. It's open to anyone that wants to join. However, not all of their functions are open ... some are obviously private -- and we're right next door -- awkward to say the least. Yesterday the big pot was on as they cooked the brew. They call it "Apple Pie" but believe me it's not apple pie .... 150 proof .. but not apple pie.

We missed the big park event the other night ... a naked man yelling "help" was discovered in the center circle. Actually, he was even one of the Rv'ers who was off his medicine. The police hauled him away and he's still in custody someplace. It'll be interesting to see what happens when they locate the daughter that's supposed to be with him. In the meantime his motorhome is sitting here and he's not. Hmmm.

Not sure what's on the agenda today. It's going to be raining all day so a walk on the beach is out. Right now there's thunder, lightening and lots of rain outside. Sounds like a laundry day.

And, I don't want to hear it, Sabrina!!!