65th Avenue Gang Heads to Vero, Beach, Fl.

Friday, December 13, 2013

Today, twelve hungry and fun loving seniors headed to Vero Beach, Florida, for a day of laughs and food.  Since all twelve of us live on 65th avenue in Ancient Oaks RV resort, let's just call us the 65th Avenue Gang.  Kinda of a catchy name, don't you think?

We managed to slip into three vehicles and headed our caravan towards Florida's Treasure coast.  After riding the back roads about an hour, we finally arrived at our first stop, the outlet mall in Vero Beach.  Some of the serious shoppers enjoyed going through dozens of stores looking for their sought after items, while others simply enjoyed some window shopping and the beautiful Florida weather.

After all that shopping, everyone had worked up an appetite.  So, the next stop had to be for lunch.  The 65th Avenue Gang chose the Ocean Grill.  It's located right on the Atlantic Ocean in Vero Beach.  We didn't have a reservation, but managed to get a table for twelve in just a  few short minutes.  The food is always good, and our waitress added to the fun by giving us great service.

The Ocean Grill also has a gift shop, and Barb was in there before most of could get out of our cars!

Our waitress was kind enough to take a picture of the 65th Avenue Gang.

Starting in the front left and going around the back of the table: Pat & Ted, Debbie & Randy, Susan & Barry, Barb & Henry, Joan & Tom, Craig & Kitty.

After lunch, a few of the girls decided to "strut their stuff" right in front of the Ocean Grill entrance!  Fortunately, no one was arrested!!

L to R: Susan, Pat, Debbie, Kitty, and Joan 

  After lunch, the girls headed off for some girl stops, and the guys headed off for some guy stops.  Somehow, we all managed to stop and get ice cream at the same store.  When it comes to ice cream, we all have the ability to sniff out a great place to stop!

It was just too much fun for one day, and, somehow, I have a feeling the 65th Avenue Gang will ride again!

Sunset in Okeechobee, Fl.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

One of the many things we enjoy is watching the sun set, especially when it is setting over water, and Lake Okeechobee gives us that opportunity every evening.  Some nights are more spectacular than others.  But, the setting sun always brings another day in paradise to a close, and that is always cause for a celebration!

In Key West, there is a sun setting party every night of the week, and it is always quite a celebration.  Here in Okeechobee it's a little different.  There's plenty of folks watching the sun set here, but they are not always partying while the sun is setting.  Some folks here are partying before the sun sets, while others are partying after the sun sets.  Since this is a +55 an older park, the parties after the sun set are usually rather short in duration due to our early bed time! Ha!

You may want to get one of your favorite toddies to drink before watching the sun set on this blog.  So, go ahead and get yourself some friendly spirits, then sit back and relax while you enjoy this colorful sun set!

I hope you enjoyed the sun set as much as your toddy!  Now that you have had a taste of paradise, we'll be looking for you real soon in Okeechobee!

Benihana's in Stuart, Florida

Saturday, November 16, 2013

It's Saturday morning and Kitty and I are relaxing at Ancient Oaks RV Resort talking with Ted (aka, Eagle Eye) and Pat (aka, Lead Foot).  Somehow we got on the subject of food and someone mentioned eating Japanese hibachi style food.  You know...where they cook at your table and entertain you with tossing knives and things while they cook.  It just so happens that the four of us really like this type of cooking.

My Google Queen wife, Kitty, is instantly on her phone searching for the nearest hibachi style restaurant.  "It's Benihana's on Ocean Blvd. in Stuart", she says.  The next thing I know the four of us are heading to Stuart, and I find myself driving.  Ted is co-pilot, and Kitty and Pat are in the back seat.  After driving for several minutes, I ask if anyone knows where Ocean Blvd. is in Stuart.  Since none of us seniors have been in this area since last spring, no one could remember.  So, we resorted to cheating and consulted the GPS.

It turns out Ocean Blvd is the same as highway A1A.  Oh yea, I remember now!  But, this means we have to cross a couple of bridges to get there and Kitty has a severe case of bridge phobia!  I had visions of Kitty trying to claw her way out of the back seat.  But, the ever alert Pat kept her talking and the bridges seemed to pass without notice, or it may have had something to do with the fact that Kitty was so hungry no little ole bridge would stand in the way of a great meal!  I guess we'll never know for sure.

We all agreed, that going to Benihana's for lunch was a great idea.  It wasn't crowded and we could pick our table.  So, we picked one with a great view of the St Lucie River.  Plus, the lunch menu is less expensive than the dinner menu, and just as good!  If you have special diet considerations, like a low salt diet, they are glad to accommodate you and you can watch the cook to be sure he doesn't forget.  Our cook was very entertaining, and the food was great!  That's a combination that will certainly bring us back here again!

Benihana's in Stuart, Fl.

After our meal, we enjoyed walking along the landscaped path to the St Lucie River.

Pat is on the left, and Kitty is on the right.

The next two shots are the St Lucie River

L to R:  Eagle Eye Ted, Lead Foot Pat, and Google Queen Kitty!

When we left Benihana's, we headed up the coast on A1A.  It's a beautiful drive and we stopped to enjoy the beach at Fort Pierce.

We made another stop in Fort Pierce near the marina to see if we could spot some manatees.  We couldn't get an up close mug shot of one, so Eagle Eye lets out a screeching manatee call that got the attention of the folks for several blocks around!  "Here manatee, here Manatee," he screeched!  Still no up close mug shot, but we did see the water swirl and could tell they were just below surface.  Probably afraid to come up for air after that manatee call!

It was a fantastic day and we decided to make it even more fantastic by stopping at Traditions Mall on the way home and getting some of that heavenly tasting ice cream!  Getting back in the car, we noticed the seat belts were a little tighter!  It will probably be a few days before any of us eat again!  Ha!

Ancient Oaks RV Resort, Okeechobee, Florida

We arrived in Ancient Oaks RV Resort on Sunday, November 3rd.  It took some jockeying back forth in order to get into our spot which is located on a narrow one way street.  There are park models with car ports extending almost to the street on both sides leaving very little wiggle room to back our 5th into the site.  But, with the help of a couple of neighbors, we finally had the fifth wheel spotted where we wanted it, and we didn't hit anything in the process!  Whew, glad that's over with!

Since we've been here, most of our time has been spent visiting with our friends in the park.  It's nice to see everyone made it through the summer months and we are all ready to enjoy the Florida weather, beaches, and attractions this winter.  Speaking of the weather, did I mention it has been great since we arrived?  Warning, if you are located up North, you may not want to read the rest of this paragraph!  Daytime temperatures have been in the low to mid eighties and the lows at night have been in the mid to upper sixties. Best of all, there's no snow in the forecast here!

We will be staying here for the next several months and have a few day trips in mind to some local points of interest.  So, we will continue to post our adventures this winter, just like we did last winter.  It promises to be tons of fun, plenty of laughs, and way too much food!

Lovers Key Beach, Florida

Thursday, October 30, 2013

Lovers Key State Park is located between Fort Myers Beach and Naples.  No matter where you are, it's worth the drive to this delightfully pristine beach.  It has 2 1/2 miles of white power sandy beaches, eight miles of hike or bike trails, kayaking and canoeing in the 744 acres of waterways fed by the Gulf.  The south end of the beach has restrooms, showers, snack bar, and rentals.  The rest of the beach has been undisturbed.  Plus there's tons of shells!

Lovers Key was only accessible by boat until 1965.  Prior to that time, it has been said that only lovers made the effort to get to this romantic island, hence, the name, Lovers Key.  From the parking lot, it is about a mile to the beach.  You can either walk or take the tram.  Since we were carrying our usual two beach bags, two beach chairs, and a beach umbrella, the tram seemed like the right option for us.  There was plenty of room to put our stuff on board, it's free, and the tram runs every 15 minutes.

We are on the tram and crossing the bridge leading to Lovers Key.  This shot is Middle Key.

This is the back side of Lovers Key as seen from the tram.

This gazebo greeted us as we arrived on Lovers Key Beach

We love to walk the beach.  You just never know what you'll find on the beach.  Local legends suggest that the Black Island (located just behind Lovers Key) was the home of a pirate known as Black Augustus.  We didn't find any pirates treasures, but we did find plenty of treasures to share with you!

 This Osprey was busy fussing at anyone walking by!  No, I don't speak bird, but I know she was fussing!

 Hope he has a fishing license!

This Osprey has a fish in his right claw and he's not sharing it with anyone!

 He looked at me and said, "Go ahead, make my day!"

 Look what Kitty found!!

Lovers Key is full of treasures and if you are ever in the area, you'll treasure your visit here just like we did! 

Tigertail Beach, Marco Island, Florida

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

We are off to the beach today!  We decided to head south on I-75 and visit Marco Island.  Marco Island, as you might expect, has several beaches to choose from.  Some have public access and some do not.  We choose Tigertail Beach because it has public access, showers, restrooms, rentals, and a snack bar.  We weren't planning on using any rentals, but one never knows with us!  It also meets another requirement...it has shells!  Lots of shells!

As soon as we got to Tigertail Beach Park, our first stop was...you guessed it...the snack bar.  Then we walked the boardwalk a short distance to a beach, but this beach was not on the Gulf, it was on a lagoon.

Here's what we saw.

Kitty asked the man in the little thatched rental hut, how we get to the beach from here.  "Maam, there's two ways to get there, you can walk across that lagoon in about 5 minutes.  It's probably waist deep this time of day, or you can walk about 15 minutes around the lagoon."  I asked the man, "Are there gators in the lagoon?"  "Not that I know of," he replied.  I asked, "Are there snakes in there?"  He replied, "Not that I know of."  Finally, I asked, "Are there flesh eating amoebas in there?"  He replied, "What?"

Picture this!  We are carrying two beach chairs, two beach bags, and one beach umbrella.  We can save 10 minutes walking across the lagoon carrying all our stuff above our waists, or take the sand trail around the lagoon.  Humm. Let me think about this a minute!  We decided to not risk the flesh eating amoebas and took the sand trail.

It was a bit of a hike carrying our stuff with temperatures reaching the upper eighties,  but, we made it and were glad we did!

Powder white sand, blue skies, a gentle breeze blowing in from the Gulf, wow! 

Here's my little shell collector, Kitty, enjoying the beach!

We love beaches and we liked this beach.  We picked a great time to visit here as the beach was almost deserted.  It was very quiet and relaxing.  I guess you could say we had a shell of a good time!

Camping at Ortono Lock on the Caloosahachee River, La Belle, Fl.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Hurry, hurry, scurry, scurry.  We are not sure we can keep this pace up!  We just don't seem to have time to  do everything we like to do.  It's really been a rough week running hither and yon.  Doing this and that.  So many things to do and so little time to do them.  If you want to take a picture of us, you'll need a camera with a super fast shutter speed, otherwise, the picture will be just a blur.

Well, I set my camera shutter speed on the highest setting and I was finally able to get this picture.

Yes, that's us doing what we do best...nothing.  Even Kallie enjoys sitting along the Caloosahachee River and watching the boats go by.  We only move our chairs when the shade disappears.  All day long, day after day just relaxing and we never seem to get enough of it.

In fact, we been sitting so long that these Vultures decided to check us out and see if we are still alive!  They circled around and then landed on these posts at the foot of our campsite.  They kept starring at us and started licking their chops...or beaks...or something.   I was just about to dose off again, when they forced me to move so I could take this picture.  Darn birds anyway!

After the Vultures visit, we decided to get out of our chairs and take a walk.  Gotta keep in shape so we won't look like Jaba the Hut!  But, as luck would have it, our exercise was cut short when we came upon this fellow!

Help! Someone call The Gator Boys and get this thing out of here!

We really enjoy watching the boats pass by on the Caloosahachee River here at Ortono Lock Campground. This river is part of the Okeechobee Water Way that connects Florida's East and West coasts.  You never know what you might see cursing down this river!

Check out this "house boat"!

Here's what the river looks like when you're on it.  I had to walk on water to take this picture!

After keeping up the pace we've had here, I don't know how I had enough energy left to write this blog!

Visiting Friends in The Villages, Florida

Friday, October 18, 2013

We left Oak Plantation Campground Thursday morning and drove about four hours to Townsend, Georgia where we spent the night.  Since we were leaving in the morning, we didn't unhook the 5th wheel.  Friday,   we drove about 3 1/2 hours to Ocala Sun Campground where we will spend the next few days visiting with our friends Glen and Laura.

We met Glen and Laura about four years ago while camping at Rock Cut State Park in Machesney Park, Illinois.  They retired earlier this year and now live in The Villages.  After getting checked in Ocala Sun and setting up our 5th wheel, Kitty, Kallie, and I headed to their house for dinner and a visit.

After hugs, handshakes, and a happy dance by Kallie, we enjoyed a great meal that Laura had prepared and had a nice chat getting caught up on all of the news on both sides before returning to our campground. Tomorrow, we are going to do a road trip of the Villages.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

The Villages makes it easy to get around in golf carts with special roads and bridges for walking, biking, and golf carts.  You rarely need a car here.  You can do all of your shopping, visit your proctologist, play golf, experience some great restaurants, without getting into your car. Since Glen and Laura's golf cart can only hold two people, we will rent another one for our touring today.  The guys in one cart, the gals in the other with our two way radios to communicate between carts.

One of the first stops in the Villages was the polo grounds.

Photo by Glen

We stopped after seeing the sights at a craft fair going on in The Villages, then headed to the beautiful Spanish Springs section for lunch. 

This church is located in The Spanish Springs section of The Villages. 

Photo by Glen

Here's our host Glen and Laura at the fountain in Spanish Springs

Kitty and me at the fountain in Spanish Springs.  Check out the pink water to honor the fight against breast cancer!

Photo by Glen

It was a blast going around all of the various sections of The Villages in the golf carts.  It's a great way to see things because you are not zooming by in a car.  Later, we had dinner at one of the great restaurants at Nancy Lopez Legacy Golf Course in The Villages and celebrated Glen's birthday a few days early.

Sunday morning, Kitty and I had some chores to attend to and in the afternoon Glen and Laura came to our home on wheels for a visit and dinner.  We really had a great visit with them.  It's always fun when we get together, and that's one of the advantages of being full time travelers.

Folly Beach, near Charleston, SC

Wednesday October 16, 2013

After spending a few hours at Charles Town Landing to see where the original colony landed that became what is now known as Charleston, we stop and had a late lunch at a local BBQ restaurant.  Then we headed to the beach.

Folly Beach has public access to the Atlantic Ocean and is somewhat removed of the hustle and bustle of Charleston.

There's not a lot of shells to be found here, but there is plenty of sand...

and waves!  Darn, I forgot my surf board again!

We took a nice leisurely stroll along the beach until we were so relaxed that we began to search for a designated driver!  But, we had to snap ourselves out of paradise and get ready to leave Oak Plantation Campground in the morning.  We'll spent one quick night in Townsend, Georgia, before rolling into The Villages to see our friends Glenn and Laura.  Sorry, gotta go and get packing!