Steve said no one would believe I drove the RV so he took a picture. We're going down Highway 1 through the keys. The RV is 37 ft long with a 3 ft hitch pulling a 10 ft tow dolly. I'm getting really good at driving.

Pictures in Grassy Key

Marathon, Grassy Key

I wrote almost this whole blog last night, downloaded (excuse me, uploaded as Steve corrected me) all of the pictures, then hit some random key and the whole thing disappeared. Instead of getting upset I closed the laptop and went for a walk on the beach. So, I'm trying again today. I'll Reiki my computer so it doesn't do this again.

We are in Marathon, FL on Grassy Key. It's off the north side of Marathon. It's a short drive to town. They have everything but a Walmart. The locals said there will never be a Walmart because it would spoil the atmosphere. I agree. Other than Publix and Walgreens, there are only Mom and Pop business. It keeps the islands quaint. The RV park is great. There is plenty of room to stretch out (some of the parks have the RVs so close to each other that you can't put out the awning, like Ft. Meyers). This is definitely a younger crowd, well our age. Several motorcycles around us. It's amazing how many people our age ride motorcycles. I think most of the Harley riders are over 50.

So, I digress, The RV park is right on the water. I'm posting pictures of the waterfront. We're about two rows back from the water. I can see the water from our picnic table. For those of you that are RV illiterate, all the campsites have a picnic table and hookups for electricity, water, and sewer. This one has cable TV. We have satellite, but we can't pick up local stations so we opted for cable here. People are very friendly in RV parks. It's like motorcycle riders, there is a kinship among those that ride. Same for RVer's.

Every evening everyone brings a cocktail and sits in the Tiki area by the ocean to watch the sunset. Then we all go to the retaining wall to watch the lobsters come out to eat. We had to sign a form saying we would not take any lobsters. It's fun, they peak out from the wall, then slowing work their way out to the open water. They have a dog park, so we take the dogs a couple of times a day and sit on the bench so the dogs can run. It's really an incredible place.

Yesterday we went to Bahia Honda State Park. It has the only natural beach in the Keys. Any other beach is man made. There is not a beach at the RV park, but there are steps to go into the water to swim or snorkel. We stayed a couple of hours and sat in the sun. We rode out motorcycles over there. I don't know if I mentioned we didn't bring a car. We couldn't fit either car on the tow dolly with the motorcycles, so we opted for bikes. We'll rent a car if we need one. We'll probably get one to go to Key West, 7 mile bridge would be rough on my little scooter. The wind whips me all around on the little bridges.

Of the pictures posted above, the sunsets were taken off the pier in the RV park, as were the bird pictures. Cassie called and wanted to know where the pictures were of me, so put that one in. I'll have to take more of me. I guess all of them were taken here except the beach picture. I'll keep posting and hope you will endure my long, rambling blogging.

Stay warm,
Diana

Yesterday I chose a sunset over the ocean for no particular reason. I had the choice of a sunset or a sunrise over the ocean, that's what mattered. I took the time to ponder my choice and realized I could have both in one day. So many directions I can turn, it is up to my. My choices are in front of me, my reality is ready to be made. It is my right to choose.

The Everglades

What an incredible ecosystem. Spanish moss hangs from the cypress trees next to marshes full of saw grass. The air boat we rode gracefully skimmed the three feet of water, careful to avoid birds and alligators. The birds posed for us. Cranes, egrets, blue heron, and ravens flew all around us.

We rode motorcycles along Highway 41 skirting the marshes. Occasionally a blue heron would fly beside me, curious of my path. We rode through the Miccosukee Indian reservation and stopped to eat at their restaurant. That is where we found the air boat. Cotton in our ears and the breeze in our face, we experienced why God made these marshes. It is beautiful.

Our RV campground surrounds monument lake. A small lake, but full of alligators, we watch our dogs carefully, even though I haven't seen one yet here. We lounge in our chairs as the sun sets over the lake. Another incredible sight.

Tomorrow we leave for Marathon Key. We will be there a month so we can truly experience the keys. Highs are in the mid seventy's and lows are in the mid fifty's. Weather to die for. This blog is great. I feel like I'm sharing every moment with you.

sunset in Ft. Meyers

I am here.
I am always here.
I feel the sunset
on the world's edge
every day
of my life.
This is where
I belong.
This is home.

Pics

My Man is Hot

Below are pictures of Steve's new Harley. He looks good on it. I can't believe all the people in Florida that ride without a helmet. It's really scary. And there are so many people here in Ft. Meyers that ride scooters that don't know what they are doing. I'm really glad I took lessons before I rode.

We have met up with Steve's friend, Gary. He is traveling with his girlfriend, Ann. Oh my!!!!! Steve and I have gone to extremes to avoid her. She talks all the time and always knows everything. And she is just one of these people that gets on your nerves easily. I'm not sure how to describe it. She's just irritating. She has a little pink scooter and talked Gary into getting a big scooter (bigger than mine). Neither one of them had ridden before and they just take off on these bikes. We've decided if we ride with them we're keeping our distance. They are riding with tank tops, shorts, and no helmets. They even said they rode yesterday with sandals on. Are you believing that!!!!! We wear boots, jeans, gloves, and definitely helmets.

Ok, I've vented. Now on to the good part. The RV Campground is right on the beach. We don't have a spot right on the beach, but it is a short stroll to the beach. We went to watch the sunset today, but it was foggy. I still enjoyed watching the pelicans diving for food. One lady was feeding the birds so they were everywhere around her. She started to walk off and there was a line of birds following her. It looked like mama duck and her ducklings. The beach is beautiful, white sand and calm water. I'm going to sit in a chair tomorrow by the ocean and write. The ocean is such a great inspiration.

Home Sweet Home

This is what I call roughing it. The door in the middle leads to the bedroom.

Home Sweet Home!!! We are really roughing it with the satellite television, sleep number mattress (even one on the fold out couch), convection microwave, push button awning, washer/dryer, I could go on and on. Needless to say, we're comfortable here. We've been riding the harley around. Mine is on the back of the RV. We're leaving here Friday so I may just keep it there and ride on the back of Steve's while we're here.

We made it!!!!

Two days of hard driving, but it was worth it. As usual there was our share of trials and tribulations. We pulled into the RV campground last night and someone was in our spot. They told us they were not supposed to leave until today and they weren't moving. We found another spot and parked, but not easily. This morning they came and told us we had to move and said someone was "freeloading" in our spot last night.

We just finished moving. The don't make these road very big in these parks and getting around in a 37 ft. rv is not easy. We're here for two more nights then Friday heading to the Everglades. I'm getting ready to ride on the back of Steve's bike to the pharmacy (of course there is always something we need). Then it's to the BEACH!!!!! See ya! It's 81 degrees.

There were girls on the balcony over this club throwing beads and flashing the guys. You can imagine the crowd of college boys with cameras and video cameras.

This is the crowd on New Year's Eve while I was looking down from the restaurant.

I never thought I would see a Bar, Grill, Gameroom, Laundromat. Never know on Bourbon St.

This is New Year's Eve. Steve got us a table on the balcony overlooking Bourbon Street. It was pretty wild. By 11:00 pm it was so crowded you couldn't move on the street. It was a little much and we left for the hotel (will explain the hotel later). It was a lot of fun. We went today back to Bourbon St. and had readings by psychics. It was amazing how accurate they are. We went to two different places, one for me and one for Steve, and they were about the same. Interesting!!! We also bought a St. Christopher to put in the RV for safe travel.

Okay, the RV. We left Saturday afternoon. We were so exhausted from loading up the RV, the truck, and two motorcycles. Steve bought a new Harley Davidson before we left. We also had to wait for the RV to get out of the shop. The fender had to be replaced from the accident we had in Birmingham. We stopped at a rest stop when we crossed the Alabama to fill the RV with water. Before we knew it, water was spraying everywhere, inside and outside the RV. The shop didn't put a heater in it in the cold weather and the pipes busted. We stayed at WalMart in Athens, AL, for the night using gallons of water to flush the toilet. Now I felt like I was camping.

We knew we would make it to New Orleans because the RV was still driveable. When we got there we could check into the campground and have a shower and bathroom there while we got the RV fixed. We got to New Orleans, to the campground, and it was right off Lake Pontchatraine in the middle of the devastation of Katrina. The campground was filled with FEMA trailers and the neighborhood was destroyed. We drove right by it and went to a WalMart to call another campground. We got stuck trying to get into WalMart and had to back out (not an easy feat with a 32 ft. motorhome and a 10 ft. tow dolly). We pulled off the road and called around. NO CAMPGROUNDS TO BE FOUND. Steve checked the GPS (Gypsy as we fondly call her). She found a campground, we called, and Gypsy led us to a million dollar neighborhood. Here we are, driving around these houses looking for a campground. We called again, the Gypsy had given us the owners home address. If I hadn't been, so tired at the time, I would have laughed. Steve did, but I think it was from hysteria. The man told us how to get to the campground. We found it with no problem, but pulled into a trailer park. And not a nice one. The manager came out and tried to hook us up to electricity and couldn't get it to work so he just left. At this point I cried.

We turned around and checked into a La Quinta. We've been here ever since. Insurance said they will cover all of it, including our hotel, because it was the repair shops fault. We're waiting to talk to the insurance again tomorrow to find out where we will get it fixed. Our plan is to leave here Thursday and go to Houston. Steve's sister-in-law is there and we can stay there while the RV is being fixed. At least, that's the plan. We will just have to see what happens.

This is the reason for purchasing the St. Christopher for a safe journey. Both of the psychics said we will have good travels. We are depending on that. I'm going to the St. Louis cemetary tomorrow. I got to see my friend, Smoky. He has a booth at the French Market. He said Angelina Jolie came by his booth last week and bought some of his CDs. He said to her, "You look familiar, are you and actress?" She said yes and told him her name. He said "Could you spell that last name, I didn't get it". His friends told him he was the only man in the US that wouldn't recognize Angelina Jolie. We're having dinner tomorrow night before I leave.



I also got to see a great cajun band today. It has been fun in spite of the problems. What they say about New Orleans is true. Outside of the French Quarter it looks like a war zone. There are homeless living under bridges in tents downtown. There are large apartment complexes boarded up and empty. There are so many FEMA trailers and campers in front of houses all around town. There are even empty storefronts on Bourbon Street. Driving down on I-59 we passed acres and acres of FEMA trailers that never made it to New Orleans. They sit empty as the homeless live in tents. I want to cry at the destruction and the stupidity of the local and federal government. All of these people still need our prayers.


Back to the good part. My psychic told me my creativity would bring me wealth. I know she doesn't necessarily mean money. It could be all of the friends I have in my life because of my writing.

Everyone take care and I'll keep blogging.

Diana the Rose
WWWL