West Palm Beach is about the most beautiful city I have seen ... just for the landscaping. All the major streets and areas have really nicely done plantings, trees, waterfalls, etc. I finally figured out it must be because we are in a major plant area (really inexpensive, home grown plants). There are palm tree farms everywhere, many, many kinds of palms of all sizes growing row upon row. And even if a house has only an extra lot or small piece of property, they have it planted in palms. Then driving in the rural areas you see workers harvesting celery, cabbage, and other vegetables, by hand.
We have been hanging out around West Palm (Petsmart, Sams, Costco, etc) enough now we sort of feel like locals .... kinda know our way around .... BUT, we still average at least a dozen u-turns per outing. We joke about the differences in a "loop around", a "circle back", or just a quick u-turn. Point is we(that's me, the driver) miss the desired location a LOT. But it gives us laughs.
Later,
Marilyn
Friday, February 25, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
airplane ride, sharks and a full moon
Darlene you were absolutely correct. We saw hundreds of sharks in the shallows off the keys as we took an airplane ride this morning .... guide says this type of accumulation only happens once a year. I had my shark repellant on just in case. :) But the aerial view of that one straight ribbon of highway connecting all those islands was amazing; plus the many different colors (and depths) of the waters was wonderful.
The full moon over the bay at our campground is just the icing on the cake!
Today has really been a grand finale for Key West. So (now that we have used up the whole months budget) we will head back to our lovely little peaceful (and cheap) campground on Lake Okeechobee for a few weeks. (Where they only have alligators .... not these awful dinasaurs (iguanas) everywhere).
Later,
Marilyn for the Three Travelers
The full moon over the bay at our campground is just the icing on the cake!
Today has really been a grand finale for Key West. So (now that we have used up the whole months budget) we will head back to our lovely little peaceful (and cheap) campground on Lake Okeechobee for a few weeks. (Where they only have alligators .... not these awful dinasaurs (iguanas) everywhere).
Later,
Marilyn for the Three Travelers
iguanas, pelicans and roosters
These iguanas are serious dudes. I was watching a small mangrove tree stand near the boat dock because the brown pelicans were dining at the fish cleaning dock, then flying over to the treetops to 'digest'. I saw a branch moving around a lot, looked closely..... and saw a very large iguana just hanging out on the end of the branch. Looked a little more closely and there were MANY iguanas in those trees ... as well as about a half dozen pelicans! I'll try to get the picture on here tonite.
Also, on the dock where we ate at an open air cafe .... a big iguana ambled by while all the tourists snapped furiously (yes, had my camera); he was about 5 feet total including tail and was REAL ugly. We are told about 15 or 20 years ago a large number escaped (hurricane ?) or were pets just released; and today they are real pests for the keys.
Then, the other oddity ... is the roosters .... they are everywhere, loose on the streets, all over the whole island of Key West. You can hear them crowing all the time, all day long. They are very streetwise and can maneuver thru traffic quite well. Again 'we are told', that years ago cock fighting was outlawed, and the authorities said "turn them loose". So they are loose and have multiplied greatly. What is cute, (and kinda scary) is the mama hens with their little broods of chicks that you see in yards, on the beach, and this morning in the CVS parking lot I saw a woman stop traffic and heard the family back to a landscaped area. Later as I passed by the mama was just sitting under a bush while her chicks played nearby.
Later,
Marilyn for the Three Travelers
Also, on the dock where we ate at an open air cafe .... a big iguana ambled by while all the tourists snapped furiously (yes, had my camera); he was about 5 feet total including tail and was REAL ugly. We are told about 15 or 20 years ago a large number escaped (hurricane ?) or were pets just released; and today they are real pests for the keys.
Then, the other oddity ... is the roosters .... they are everywhere, loose on the streets, all over the whole island of Key West. You can hear them crowing all the time, all day long. They are very streetwise and can maneuver thru traffic quite well. Again 'we are told', that years ago cock fighting was outlawed, and the authorities said "turn them loose". So they are loose and have multiplied greatly. What is cute, (and kinda scary) is the mama hens with their little broods of chicks that you see in yards, on the beach, and this morning in the CVS parking lot I saw a woman stop traffic and heard the family back to a landscaped area. Later as I passed by the mama was just sitting under a bush while her chicks played nearby.
Later,
Marilyn for the Three Travelers
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Iguanas !! ??
Nobody warned me I might encounter iguanas - I mean real, good sized lizards - in our campground !!
In the middle of the day, crossing the road in front of our car, was the most ugly creature I have seen lately.
He was about 2 1/2 to 3 feet long, orange head, green body, long forked tongue -- and I just was awestruck. I thought surely this was someones pet that had escaped, so I stopped the car in the road, left the door open and walked back to the first people I found sitting out in their lawn chairs by their motorhome -- and I asked them "WHAT in the world is that, and is it lost or are they common around here?". The answer was "oh, yeah, they are all over the place, they stay up in the trees most of the time; they won't bother you". So now what worries me is we have a tree that covers part of our motorhome and comes right down over the door .... I spend a lot of time looking up when I'm going and coming!
Took a glass bottom boat ride out to see the reefs - about 6 miles out - amazing ! But what really got me was when the captain said I was 132 miles from the US mainland, and only 84 miles from Cuba (closer to Cuba than to the closest WalMart).
We have treated ourselves to 2 days of doggie daycare (not us - the dogs); but it is nice to have a little break to be total tourists without a time schedule. Really interesting, historic place - and everybody rides bikes, scooters or walks. (And yes, Becky, I'm keeping my camera around my neck all the time now).
Later,
Marilyn for the Three Travelers
In the middle of the day, crossing the road in front of our car, was the most ugly creature I have seen lately.
He was about 2 1/2 to 3 feet long, orange head, green body, long forked tongue -- and I just was awestruck. I thought surely this was someones pet that had escaped, so I stopped the car in the road, left the door open and walked back to the first people I found sitting out in their lawn chairs by their motorhome -- and I asked them "WHAT in the world is that, and is it lost or are they common around here?". The answer was "oh, yeah, they are all over the place, they stay up in the trees most of the time; they won't bother you". So now what worries me is we have a tree that covers part of our motorhome and comes right down over the door .... I spend a lot of time looking up when I'm going and coming!
Took a glass bottom boat ride out to see the reefs - about 6 miles out - amazing ! But what really got me was when the captain said I was 132 miles from the US mainland, and only 84 miles from Cuba (closer to Cuba than to the closest WalMart).
We have treated ourselves to 2 days of doggie daycare (not us - the dogs); but it is nice to have a little break to be total tourists without a time schedule. Really interesting, historic place - and everybody rides bikes, scooters or walks. (And yes, Becky, I'm keeping my camera around my neck all the time now).
Later,
Marilyn for the Three Travelers
Sunday, February 13, 2011
POW !!! Sunset on the Keys
We drove on down from Miami to Key Largo, got set up in our campground, then took the car out to look for a grocery store. Both sides of the road are pretty much solid commercial along here ... not too much view of the water, although it is very near on both sides of the road. It was about 6:15 pm or so .... all at once out of the corner of my eye, I caught a brilliant flash of color between two buildings. Everyone in the car said "Wow, did you see that?". So we quickly turned in to a parking lot, drove around the building, and were absolutely stunned to see a sunset of such unbelieveably beautiful colors. I mean, I've seen pictures .... but in real life it was stunning. Wow. And not one of us had our camera with us - but there will be more.
On to Key West tomorrow.... no, we don't plan to swim with the dolphins ..... we don't plan to swim at all. It's only about 76 degrees here.
Later,
Marilyn for the Three Travelers
On to Key West tomorrow.... no, we don't plan to swim with the dolphins ..... we don't plan to swim at all. It's only about 76 degrees here.
Later,
Marilyn for the Three Travelers
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Ft.Lauderdale
We contacted a friend who used to be at Houston's First Baptist, Toni Hamilton, (who is now on staff at First Baptist Lauderdale); and were so-o-o-o fortunate to have her be our personal tour guide for part of a day. Saw some beautiful beaches; saw some REAL expensive homes (the kind with the 50foot yacht tied up in their backyard); and ate the absolutely BEST seafood I think I've ever tasted!
Vera got overly-excited when she saw FIVE HUGE cruiseships in port at one time. (If you don't remember, she l-o-v-e-s cruising).
Tomorrow we move on down thru Miami to Key Largo. Florida has more different kinds of palm trees than I ever knew existed. The royal palm is beautiful: it has a very tall, straight, smooth trunk. And here in our campground I have seen tall scheffalera trees (yes, the kind we have as houseplants). It is easy to see why so much produce is grown here because the soil is a very rich black.
This particular campground is packed with French speaking Canadians who have semi-permanent modular homes set up with covered patios, storage sheds, etc, which they of course come back to every winter.
Later,
Marilyn for the Three Travelers
Vera got overly-excited when she saw FIVE HUGE cruiseships in port at one time. (If you don't remember, she l-o-v-e-s cruising).
Tomorrow we move on down thru Miami to Key Largo. Florida has more different kinds of palm trees than I ever knew existed. The royal palm is beautiful: it has a very tall, straight, smooth trunk. And here in our campground I have seen tall scheffalera trees (yes, the kind we have as houseplants). It is easy to see why so much produce is grown here because the soil is a very rich black.
This particular campground is packed with French speaking Canadians who have semi-permanent modular homes set up with covered patios, storage sheds, etc, which they of course come back to every winter.
Later,
Marilyn for the Three Travelers
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Airboat ride over the everglades
The wetlands and marshes are amazing. When you can get way out in them, up close and personal, they are quite different from my previous perceptions. From the airboat for as far as you can see in any direction, the floating vegetation (sawgrass, spikeweed, fireflags, cat tails, and of course many water lilies) looked like any solid prairie land, except it grows in 2 or 3 feet of water. There are some paths, or channels cut thru the vegetation that motorboats can navigate. Since most grasses are way over your head height, I can imagine a 'tourist' could easily get lost.
The island we are staying on is about 19 miles long and is only a small part if the southern tip of Lake Okeechobee. The Corp of Engineers has dredged a channel around the island, with the spoils of the dredging being piled high on the island side to form a dike, which protects it from the hurricane flooding. But what is most interesting is at the water's edge of that dike are where the alligators live, sunning themselves on the bank. Let me tell you ..... when you are twenty feet away from a BIG alligator who is just laying there staring at you ..... you KNOW that you are on HIS turf. I'm glad airboats are fast, just in case.
There are many nature walks and paths in this area, one of which passes immediately behind our motorhome parking spot. We have been advised not to take the dogs with us on our walks! :)
Tomorrow we move southward. Even with the expense of staying on the keys, we have decided it is a must do.
Later,
Marilyn for the Three Travelers
The island we are staying on is about 19 miles long and is only a small part if the southern tip of Lake Okeechobee. The Corp of Engineers has dredged a channel around the island, with the spoils of the dredging being piled high on the island side to form a dike, which protects it from the hurricane flooding. But what is most interesting is at the water's edge of that dike are where the alligators live, sunning themselves on the bank. Let me tell you ..... when you are twenty feet away from a BIG alligator who is just laying there staring at you ..... you KNOW that you are on HIS turf. I'm glad airboats are fast, just in case.
There are many nature walks and paths in this area, one of which passes immediately behind our motorhome parking spot. We have been advised not to take the dogs with us on our walks! :)
Tomorrow we move southward. Even with the expense of staying on the keys, we have decided it is a must do.
Later,
Marilyn for the Three Travelers
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Heading Further South
Hello friends: Well we are pulling up stakes (not too hard) and heading futher south tomorrow. Going to a place called Belle Glade at the tip of Lake Okeechobee. Plan to stay there a week at least. Temperatures have been warm here ---lots warmer than Houston. Saw you all were having some 'bad' weather. We are getting some rain but nothing serious.
We have had some good laughs here in trying to get around Ocala. Marilyn who usually has a great sense of direction "tumbled her gyros" and has gotten us lost several times. It is really quite a nice city -- the Horse Capital of the world -- more horses than people. John Travolta has quite a spread here -- he has a very exclusive Aviation community ie the residents drive their planes to their front door. The name of the community is "Jumbolair " Aviation Estates. That gives you an idea of big some of the planes are.
The horse farms are something to see. Many of them are training facilities for race horses and they have their own race tracks. The horse to watch for the Kentucky Derby has been trained here - full name escapes me
(and us) but it is something Moe.
We have settled into the life of full time RVing. Talk about the fact that we don't have a schedule to keep and most of the time don't know what day of the week it is.
This past week has been quiet and hasn't produced any real exciting 'sound bites'. So will sign off for now and let you know about our stay in Belle Glade.
Vera (for the Three Travelers)
We have had some good laughs here in trying to get around Ocala. Marilyn who usually has a great sense of direction "tumbled her gyros" and has gotten us lost several times. It is really quite a nice city -- the Horse Capital of the world -- more horses than people. John Travolta has quite a spread here -- he has a very exclusive Aviation community ie the residents drive their planes to their front door. The name of the community is "Jumbolair " Aviation Estates. That gives you an idea of big some of the planes are.
The horse farms are something to see. Many of them are training facilities for race horses and they have their own race tracks. The horse to watch for the Kentucky Derby has been trained here - full name escapes me
(and us) but it is something Moe.
We have settled into the life of full time RVing. Talk about the fact that we don't have a schedule to keep and most of the time don't know what day of the week it is.
This past week has been quiet and hasn't produced any real exciting 'sound bites'. So will sign off for now and let you know about our stay in Belle Glade.
Vera (for the Three Travelers)
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