More from Jonathan Dickinson

Monday March 4- A day of running. We went across town, Jeff wanted to go to Barnes and Noble. You can't hardly find music anymore. They are bringing back vinyl....go figure. While Jeff was there I went to Michaels and found some Easter decorations. Looked at Petco, The Container Store, and finally Total Wine. Jeff couldn't believe all the beer they had in there and the prices were good.

You could even purchase single cans or bottles to try. We left here and Jeff stopped at the mall to get coffee cups for his Nespresso. He also took back his used pods, they recycle. We were so close to the Cheesecake Factory we had lunch there. Both of us liked our lunch, which we finished up with a piece of cheesecake. We haven't been there for a while so it was really good.

Before heading home we filled up the gas tank and washed the car. We used the automatic car wash which we never do. It's nearly impossible to find a self serve car wash down here.


Tuesday March 5- You know what that means....working. When we got down to the shop they informed us that our carts rear tire is just about to fail. We took our chances and drove it anyway.  When I finished with work I came home and made a cake to put our strawberries on. Then I thought it would be a good day to take care of the pups. I gave Miss Ruby a bath and dryed her. Then I got the clippers and groomed Belle. Made does her hair grow fast.

Wednesday March 6- Oh my my....winter is back. It was 48 degrees this morning accompanied by a north wind. It felt really cold to me, especially after all that hot weather. We finished at a decent time. I ran into town to get Miss Ruby some dog food. I made a couple more stops before heading back. The rest of the day stayed in.

Thursday March 7- Today we took the other cart. Hopefully they will get some new tires for our cart. Today it was still a bit cool, but nothing like yesterday. It warmed up fairly quick.

We got our work done and delivered the radio to Ken. Just like that another week of work in the books. It was a nice afternoon so I sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine.


Friday March 8- First thing I did the laundry. Then we headed to The Loggerhead Marinelife Center. I love to go there and look at the turtles. They have a educational area inside. Then they have the hospital area outside. I go to see the turtles. They do a great thing here. Did I mention that they have a great gift shop? Well I checked it out before leaving and gave a good donation by buying a long sleeve t-shirt. I was looking for something for Maddyn here. I spotted something on a shelf but didn't get it. Here are some pictures of this adventure.

After our turtle adventure we headed to a new restaurant for a late breakfast. Jeff found it on the internet. Berry Fresh Cafe...here we come. We found it no problem. We got a table and ordered us some breakfast. The place was still fairly busy. Our waitress was super friendly and helpful.

We came home after eating. It was a beauty of a day. I took advantage and sat outside. I can't believe its March and so warm and sunny. Well this park is pretty quiet all the time. I kept hearing this funny squawking. I looked around and spotted a couple pileated woodpeckers. They were across the way on a palm tree. I went and grabbed my good camera so I could zoom in on them. I had fun taking pictures and I got a lot of them. Here are some of the better ones.

I kept taking pictures until they moved on. They played around on a couple trees there for quite a while. then later on I thought I spotted a bird on a tree up by the pavilion. I zoomed in to get a picture. It was really far away. After looking I thought it looked like a younger one. The picture is not as clear because of the distance.

Later on after supper I took Ruby for a walk. Jeff came to get me to tell me Ken spotted a bald eagle on a tree behind our rigs. I ran home got my camera and took some more pictures. Oh yeah those 2 wood peckers are in his tree now too. It was a bird kind of a day.

We finished off the night by going to Blue Point to listen to music. We didn't care for the service this time so we left and took ourselves to Tiki 52 to hear who was playing there. The band there was ok but we visited with some nice folks from Illinois. Here are some shots from our evening adventures.

Tiki 52

Saturday March 9- With all that running we did yesterday, we didn't have anything planned today. When I got up to get Ruby out for a walk I noticed all the cars up at the pavilion. They just kept expanding until the lot in front of our camp site was full. They are having volunteers working in the park today.

It looked like we were going to get some rain. Jeff wanted to go to the movie and see that Apollo 11 documentary. I skipped it and just walked around the area looking at shops. While he was in the theater it just poured rain. The rain didn't last long. In the afternoon I sat outside looking for my birds. Well they didn't show up today but we did get a visitor....a turtle came to enjoy the buffet in the field by us. I got some pictures. We have a couple that come around quite often. This one was the bigger of the two.

We also had a friendly squirrel that stopped by for a visit. They are getting very brave. I fixed us a really good supper. We walked around the campground before settling for the night. We have to spring forward tonight.

Sunday March 10- Morning came quick. I got a text about 10:30 last night from Seth. Him and Katie are stuck in the airport in Minnesota. Looks like there flight was cancelled. They will catch a plane in the morning. They just decided to stay at the airport. We went to church this morning and attendance was a little light. Time change. After we went to Walmart and apparently everyone is sleeping in....time change. The Walmart wasn't busy at all...not complaining. Then came home and made breakfast. We stayed around here until about 3 o'clock. Then we headed to Port Salerno. We wanted to go to The Twisted Tuna and get a happy hour pizza for supper. The place was crazy busy so we didn't stay too long.

Well we left there and went next door to Manatee Island. It was busy but we beat the real crowd. We got a perfect table where we could eat and still watch the music. Jason Montero was playing there, one of Jeff;s favorites. We had dinner which was a special deal because of happy hour prices. The drinks were cold, our food was hot and yummy, and the music was great. We love this place. Did I say we had a very friendly server as well. It was a really nice afternoon. Then we headed home.



Monday March 11- We took off in the morning to Palm City RV. It wasn't really what we expected. We didn't need anything just wanted to look around. Well we didn't get to look at much everything outside was locked up. They only had one 5th wheel inside to look at. It was a Columbus. When we went in both of us were surprised by how roomy it was. It had the kitchen up front. It had a lot of counter space. The living room area was just as spacious. The bathroom had a huge shower. The bedroom had a king sized bed but still felt roomy. It had 5 slides. Those being the positives, the build quality was questionable. I wish one of these big company's would take these great new floor plans and build something that would last. I think that was the first time we saw a front kitchen. I really liked that idea.

After leaving the RV place we headed to Lighthouse cove putt putt golf. We have been wanting to go but just hadn't made it there yet....today was the day.

Well the place was really nice and not to busy today. It was a bit hot though. They have 2 different courses. The one we picked had a big aquarium to look at along the way. Well I have to say Jeff whipped me. I'm horrible it seems at putt putt.

 After the game we had a bite to eat at there restaurant. It was nice and the service was good. We had a fun time there. You can get online and get prices. They also have a senior day. Oh they will also bring you drinks while you are playing...

Tuesday March 12- It was a foggy morning and the sunrise was a beauty. We are still using the golf cart. Waiting for tires for our blue cart. I can't wait to get that one back. After work I was sitting outside in my swing chair and I noticed this strange creature scurry across our rug outside. I grabbed my phone and got some pictures. I didn't know what it was so I put it on facebook and everyone kind of agreed it was a skink. I had never seem one before. It looked like a night crawler with legs and a pointed head. That thing could really move too.

Wednesday March 13- Yeah!! Our cart is fixed with new tires. It was nice to have it back and have all our stuff where we could find it. Another good day at work.

Thursday March 14- Last day of our work week. We had a nice day, with the weather nice, and no big problems to deal with. After work we cleaned up and was planning on driving to Wellington Amphitheater. As we were leaving Jeff went to turn off the water and flipped the wrong switch. The water squirted straight in to the refrigerator vent. That caused our frig to throw an error message. We have had this happen before. Jeff had to reset it. It wasn't really cooperating. I think it was because we were in a hurry. Well we got it reset and headed on our way. The drive over was horrible. The traffic was crazy on every road. It didn't mater if it was a road, highway, or turnpike....all of them were packed. It took us 1 1/2 hours to get there. We did get a good parking spot. I was super excited about going back to eat at the egg roll food truck. Well, it wasn't there. I was bummed. We got a pizza to share, I guess it is pie day... I tried to comfort my pain with hot doughnuts, they were way over priced. The band tonight was Forever Young, a Neil Young tribute band. They were ok but not my favorite. They had a good sized crowd. It wasn't packed as I have seen it though.

The ride home was way better but still more traffic than usual.

Friday March 15- Was going to kayak but the weather was not cooperating. We hung around here getting our household chores done. We ran to the store to get stuff for our Sunday dinner. I made cookies to take too.

Saturday March 16- A little gray today. We got Miss Ruby out for a walk before rain. We also ran in to Ken and Janna. We invited them to go to the Square Grouper at 3 to listen to Jodi Gaines and get a happy hour drink. We found a spot at the bar where we could still see the band. That turned out to be a great seat because it did rain a bit on and off. We stayed nice and dry. We had great service and ended up getting a bite to eat as well. We hung around there with Ken and Janna. It was a great time and we got to learn more about our new friends.

When we got home we walked the dogs and then we headed up to the Pinegrove Pavillion. Phil Milligan is having a jam session. He invites all the campers. Jeff brought his guitar and so did a couple other guys. With the weather Jeff suggested that they use the shelter. It turned out to be a great night. There were over 30 people there and I think everyone had fun. I know those 2 little boys that were dancing did.

Sunday March 17- Happy St. Patty's Day. Wearing green today. Jeff even surprised me by grabbing a green shirt. We went to church, had to go early to greet. On our way home from church we made a quick Walmart stop. Then home to finish cooking my loose meat sandwich meat. We left here at 12:30 to get to Lori and Todd's house. We had a smaller than normal group but the food was excellent. We had fun getting to know everyone there a bit better. We left there a little before 3. We had to make one more stop before heading home. Some of the volunteers are getting together at Tiki 52 to celebrate St Patty's Day. We got a table and sat by the water and enjoyed the afternoon. Our group just kept growing...it was fun.

Well that's another 2 weeks in the books. We can't believe how fast this winter has gone. We have about a month left here and I'm sure it will fly by....until next time......

The Heat is ON

Monday February 18- A big day planned today. We went down to Ken and Mary's site around 8:30 am. We are hitting the road, heading south to Miami Gardens. Going to give Topgolf a go. Jeff and I went last year and we had mentioned it to Ken and he really wanted to go. We traveled down and the traffic wasn't bad. Jeff had made reservations on line. It is Presidents Day and wasn't sure if it would be busier. We got there a little before 10. Our reservations were for 10:30. They set us up and we got started. It was really a warm one out there but we were in the shade and they had fans blowing.

 

We started playing and it was quite fun. If you have never done this it is a blast. You hit your golf balls at targets. Each ball has a gps in it and it tells you how far you hit it. If you land in any of the targets it shows where your ball landed in the target. Then it gives you your score. It scores kin of like bowling. While you are playing they keep you happy with beverages. We also had lunch which was really good. All 4 of us got something different and all 4 of us liked what we got. We ended up playing for 2 1/2 hours. The prices vary here depending on the time of day. In the morning, open til noon it was $25 an hour. After noon it went up to 35, then after work it was 45. I'm not sure of the weekend prices. This price is per bay, doesn't matter how many people you have. We all had a blast.

Even our neighbor was having fun

After we finished playing we loaded up and headed back toward home. The traffic was a little more for the ride home. We sure enjoyed the day. We got home and rested a bit before we got stuff out to make supper. We invited Jeffrey and Maren over for tenderloins. They have never had them before. Well supper was a success. They liked them. So we had a good dinner with good conversation. We ate inside because it's very warm out there.

Tuesday February 19-Hi ho hi ho it's off to work we go. It's going to be a hot one for sure. We had a hard time getting our work done, everyone wanted to ask questions. After we finished our work we headed back to the rig to cool down. We had a camper bring us some tomatoes so tonight we used them to have BLT's for supper.

Wednesday February 20- It's even warmer today. We also had just a few sprinkles. After work we had a neighbor come over to see if he could borrow a volt meter. Well Jeff went over to help him. They have a 2006 Airstream with a slide. They were having a problem getting the slide out. Jeff tries to help for about 1 1/2 hours. There were super nice people and have been to this park many times. We stayed inside the rest of the evening.

Thursday February 21- Again with the scorching temps. So happy it's the last day we have to work. After work we got together with some of the other volunteers for a happy hour. We found a spot where we could all be in the shade. When we finished off we went to the air conditioning. Jeff remembered that there was a rocket launch tonight at 8:45. We went out to see if we could see it. It was really neat. You could see the tail on the rocket change colors. Then you could see the booster drop off too. I only wish I would have taken out my camera......maybe next time.

Friday February 22- It is still way above average temps. I did laundry and cleaned inside. Jeff defrosted his frig downstairs. We also put some leather product on our new love seat. We loved the couch before but after seeing what it looked like after the first treatment we really loved it. We stayed around here most of the day. Getting out to give Ruby a walk or a bike ride.

 Maren and Jeffrey came by to pick us up around 4. We drove over to Wellington amphitheater to listen to The Long Ride. They are a Eagle tribute band. We arrived plenty early but so did lots of other folks. We found a spot to sit. Then we went out to check out the food trucks. We had planned on getting our supper here.

Jeff and I got  Philly steak and cheese eggrolls. The guy in the truck was a hoot and was so fun. Now our food was so good. I also got a strawberry lemonade which was unbelievably good. Both of us were pleased with our pick. We sat down to eat and waited for the show to start. I couldn't believe how many people they crammed in there.

It was a good night to sit outside. It was a warm day but when the sun set it was comfortable. Now the show was really good and I think the crowd was pleased. We had a wonderful evening.

Saturday February 23- I have been wanting to go to the flea market in Stuart so today we went. We got there fairly early and there wasn't hardly anybody there. The last time we went it was super busy. Well Ruby came with us today. We got some produce. I was happy that I got some strawberries. We made a few stops at the store before coming home. I made an angel food cake for our strawberries. We stayed around the park today. Miss Ruby decided to sit outside a bit, making herself comfy in my chair.

Then about 4:30 we drove down to the eagle nest to see if we could see the eagle of eaglet. We saw the eagle guarding the nest but didn't see the baby. I took my camera and got some decent shots.

the nest

watching the nest

I ended this Saturday with a happy note...our granddaughter Maddyn said Grammy today.

Sunday February 24- Sunday church day. Today we were in for a great message. Our pastor's pastor, Jim Frease was bringing the message. He visits every winter when we are here. He is a great communicator. He brings the message with such gusto. I always come away feeling better from this church. He even gave every family a book this time. What a blessing he was today. Oh and did I mention that he is a hoot.

We stopped for breakfast at Time To Eat Cafe before heading home. We walked Ruby and visited with lots of campers. Then we decided to go listen to some music down the street at Blue Point. When we got there around 1:30, the place was really hopping. Busier than I have ever seen it. We got a drink and waited for a table. Then Jeff and I ordered a early, really early dinner. Jeff got the mahi tacos and I got the chicken tenders. We both loved our meal. It was a nice afternoon.

Monday February 25- Well the temperature broke and the winds kicked in so we didn't make it to the inter coastal. We were planning on getting the kayaks out. Maybe next week. We just hung around here. Our friends went to Cosco and brought us back a chicken...supper....

Tuesday February 26- An uneventful day at work. We would have been done at 11:30 but we had one camper that didn't want to leave. Jeffrey and Maren came over for a happy hour. We have rain heading in...it arrived around 8:30.

Wednesday February 27- The rain just lasted during the night. It was a nice day today. After work ran to the store. When I got back I made treats for our sunset boat trip tomorrow. Pam, another volunteer stopped by to invite to a dinner tonight. They are having a birthday dinner for Gloria, another volunteer. We are to go to stop camp at 6:30. We got there just in time, it poured rain and the lightning was crazy. The rain didn't last long but it came down hard. We had a wonderful meal and got to visit with other volunteers. Not only did we have a wonderful meal but there was cake and ice cream too.

Thursday February 28- A nice day today only had 8 campers leaving today. As usual we had one guy that didn't want to leave. After work we got cleaned up and waited for our ride. Jeffrey and Maren came and picked us up and we headed to Stuart. We are boarding the Schooner Lily for a sunset sail. We did this 2 years ago and were looking forward to going again. The boat was full tonight because last nights trip was cancelled. On this boat you can bring your own snacks and beverages.

We boarded, found a seat and waited to set sail. It was a wonderful evening for a cruise. The captain pushed off out of the harbor. When we got out far enough we put up the sails. Me and another gal volunteered to help.

Everyone got comfortable and brought out the beverages and snacks. It was a great evening and the weather even cooperated.

Just as the sun was starting to set the captain and his wife brought out there instruments and played us some songs.

When the sky started changing colors everyone's attention was turned to the sky. It was a beauty of a sunset. I wish the pictures showed just how pretty it was. They don't but I tried.

We made it back to land safe. Before heading home we stopped for supper at Sonny's BBQ. We actually did the same thing for dinner the last time. It was very tastee.


Friday March 1- It was a pretty day. We made our way to the inter coastal. Found a great spot and unloaded our stuff. Jeff wanted to get his kayak out. I stayed on land and enjoyed my floating bean bag chair. We got there early before most people. We are waiting for phone calls today. Justin, our son is having surgery. Seth and Ashton are on the road to Omaha for Ashton's last hockey tournament.

We stayed until it got to busy. Then we headed back home to clean things up. Justin's surgery went well and he will be home later today. Seth and Ashton made it and his first game was at 5 o'clock. It was a close one but they won 3-0.


Saturday March 2- Today was a busy day, we did a lot of visiting. We went early to go to Trader Joe's. As we were leaving my phone rang....I looked and it was from Ohio? Do I know anyone from Ohio? Well I answered it and it was Debbie, she goes to our church. She asked what we were doing? I told her we were just leaving the store. Ia asked what she was doing and she said sitting outside our camper. We told her we would be right there. We got back and sat outside and visited with her and Bill her husband. Then they left. We got a call from Seth and Ashton's 2nd game ended in a tie. Then one of the volunteers, Janice stopped by and we were visiting with her. While she was here our neighbors came over and invited us to go to the concession area for a happy hour. We went down there and visited with Ron and Nancy. Boy are we good at talking. When we got home we changed and then we drove to Stuart. We are going to Sneaki Tiki to listen to Jodie Gaines. It was a neat little place and the music was wonderful. On a sadder note Ashton played another game and it didn't end as they would have liked. They took a L.





















Sunday March 3- This is going to be another busy day. We are greeting at church today. Then after the service we came on home and I prepared my Italian dish for our Italian dinner. Our life group from church meets the first and third Sunday's to share a meal. We drove over there, it's starts at 1. We didn't have many show up. Even the groups leaders weren't there. They had someone at the house to wait for everyone. We had a great meal, and the fellowship was just as great. Then we brought our leftovers home. We took care of the dogs. Then we got back in the car and headed to the Square Grouper to listen to some music. The String Assassins were playing. We barely found a place to park.
We walked to the bar and it was packed. Standing room only. We got a drink and listened to the music which was really good. Then someone got up so we found a place to sit. It was just a bit to crazy for us. We didn't stay all that long. We sure would like to watch that band at another place. They were very unique. Who would have thought you could dance to Pink Floyd, well you could with this group.

To finish off this post Ashton had one more game today. They are playing for 3rd place. It was another really close game but they came out on top this time. It was a bit emotional because they are a very close team and today was the last game of the season and some won't be coming back next year. They had a great season....way to go Blizzard!!!!!