And The Headline Read....,

Retired judge and wife lost in the prairie at Myakka river state park. Well, thats what I was worried about after we took this trail. We were basically lost, no map, in the prairie with wild pigs, bobcats, and 4 kinds of poisonous snakes.  We went miles without seeing anyone. The path was so bumpy that we had to walk our bikes. Finally, we ran into a family that pointed us in the right direction.  You can barely see Hiawatha in the picture

I rode off and thought he was right behind me. I was glad to get out of the prairie. These wild pigs scare me and they are everywhere.

I dont think i would kayak on this lake;  I have never seen so many alligators in a small lake. They said there are well over 1500 in this small area.  We took the airboat and tram tours today. They were very informative. 

Parts of the bike ride were very pretty. This is not grass, just green scum on top of the water

The vultures were everywhere in this park

Finally a few pics from the bike ride

Sunday we ate at a really neat restaurant called The Ford Diner

Monday we had a goodbye luncheon with Jennifer. We are eating out way too much

Happy Pioneer Days

This morning we went to Pioneer Days in Arcadia. They had some nice crafts and some good barbeque. I picked up this cute little tissue box holder for my UK fanatic nephew.

The hit of the show was this custom made camper that the owner has been all over the US in the last couple of years. He designed and built it.

Jennifer has skills at the game of "jacks"

Just as we finished eating the rain started. After we dropped Jennifer off it started pouring. We needed rain to wash away the pollen.

Hiawatha needed comfort food after UK lost their game

Green beans, okra and corn muffins. The veggie truck was in the campground yesterday.

We had to say goodbye to our friends as they headed back to Illinois!  Safe travels!  We miss you!

Happy St Patricks Day!

Tonight we had a camper appreciation cookout.  My friend Marsha and I decorated our table between swims today.  We made extra food and had plenty.  This was also Ricks birthday so we sang to him. It was also a going away party.  Most of our friends are leaving this week. We will sure miss them and look forward to seeing them next year. All the grandmas are anxious to get home to their grandchildren; most of the men want to stay another month😏

They had a band and dancing tonight; but we opted for shuffleboard!

So busy, I can't keep up!

Gee, I can't believe I haven't blogged since Saturday.  Sunday after church we went shopping for our table decorations for the St Patrick day appreciation dinner. We ate breakfast with friends at the Good  Times Diner before we went shopping. 

We have spent a lot of time in the pool this week. 

The alligators in the park and river are getting really active as it gets closer to their mating season

Makes me a little leary of getting in the river in my kayak!

I got this book in the mail for our trip this spring

I also bought a book with all the corp of engineers campground info.  They should both come in handy.

Well going to call it a night; going to breakfast with friends in the morning.

Quilt Show

Today I went to a quilt show at a local campground with my friend Jennifer. I didnt expect much, but I was very surprised. They had a lot of quilts on display and they were beautiful. They had one section displaying quilts that they made and presented to 77 veterans in their park this year. They were amazing

None of the quilts were for sale but they did have other crafts for sale. I was able to pick up over 50 quilting/sewing books for $5.00!  Score!

We went out for a pulled pork lunch then back to the campground to swim the rest of the afternoon. It was in the upper 80's here today!

New Ride

Hiawatha's old bike finally bit the dust. You can't ride a bike that will only turn right. So off to walmart for a new cruiser. He got a Huffy that has 3 gears and coaster brakes!  I keep forgetting to take a picture of it!   He was sad to give up his old faithful, but can't afford to have a bike wreck. We have just been busy hanging out in the park. We stay in the pool and visit with the neighbors about all day and always have a few shuffleboards matches.  We won 2 of 3 today!

Last night we had a great dinner with our Michigan friends. The alligator in their pond provided the entertainment!

Tonight we are watching UK whip up on Alabama!

Biking in Punta Gorda

The bike trails here are amazing. Biking along the bay area is so much fun because the scenery changes constantly

There are several restaurants along the bike trail. We decided to eat at T T's tiki hut. The food was ok the service was horrible

But the scenery was wonderful

Then we drove to Ponce de Leon park. It was beautiful and had a nice mangrove trail and a nature center

Gene is playing a mean game of cornhole  with the neighbors