A foggy start at 8:00 a.m.
 

At the border by 8:30

A brief ray of sunshine during a rainy day!

Pennsylvania by noon!

The Bei Jing Restaurant - you don't pay a premium for the ambiance!

We didn't last long enough to see the ball drop!

It was another foggy and rainy start at 7:30 a.m.

Our first priority was coffee!

We found a table where we could keep an eye on the dogs.

It really poured . . . most of the morning.

Maryland at 9:05

West Virginia at 9:15

Virginia at 9:35

When we turned from I-81 onto I-77 at 2:25 we were half way to our Florida destination.

Carol tried to get an over-the-shoulder shot of the dogs.  She missed!

Carol doesn't like this seven-mile-long hill when we're in the motor home.

In the car it's no problem.  She kept busy snapping pictures all the way down!

There are five runaway truck ramps.

North Carolina at 3:00

We pulled into our hotel at 4:00.  The dogs were relieved!

There was no fog when we left at 8:00 this morning but lots and lots of rain!

Charlotte NC at 9:10

South Carolina at 9:15

Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?

Traffic on I-95 was terrible in both directions.  Our GPS detoured us off the freeway twice between Orangeburg and Hardeeville.  We've never seen it so bad!

Jake has pretty much had it with all of this togetherness!

On the road at 8:05.    Look - no rain!

Florida at 8:10

A quick stop at the Welcome Centre for orange juice and brochures.

By-passing Jacksonville on I-295 East

We followed this guy to Buc-ee's

Buc-ee's is amazing.  They have more than 100 gas pumps and great prices!

Carol wants to spend more time shopping at Buc-ee's!

We reached our destination at 1:30

Late in the afternoon we made a grocery run to the nearest village!

Our first sunset at Canopy Oaks

We spent most of the morning puttering around the campsite.

The sunset began about 5:30 while we had the dogs at the off-leash park.

The boys were glad to have a day without a long car ride!

The sunset and the moonrise were glorious as I barbequed dinner!

Enjoying our morning coffee on the patio.

The sun rising on our front yard.

After doing some shopping at Lake Wales we went for a swim.

It was the first time we've been in a pool or hot tub in three years.

We're gong back tomorrow!

The pool's not far away.  That's our RV in the middle.

Carol cooked up a delicious dinner!

Another beautiful sunrise.

Coffee on the patio.

Hot dogs for lunch.

My princess in the pool.

Does she look happy?

Jasper met Ellie at the dog park.

They bonded quickly.

Ellie is the first dog Jasper hasn't been able to catch!

After dinner we sat out for a while and listened to karaoke from the nearby Tiki Bar.

All that running with Ellie was more than Jasper is used to.  He was pooped!

An amazing display of geraniums

Popcorn Sienna

Huge old Live Oaks draped with Spanish Moss

Japanese Camellia

Beehive Ginger

Saturday January 8 - A thrift shop full of Disney stuff . . . where Carol only spent $3.00.  I swear it's true!

Forever Vintage at Dundee Florida

Jasper and Jake met Chief, a Black Mouth Cur pup.

Jasper and Chief wore each other our wrestling.

Jasper, Ellie and Chief

Another soothing sunset after a relaxing day!

Sunday morning the RV's were pulling out in droves.  There are lots of empty sites!

We drove to nearby Bartow to visit the Camping World store.

There was too much cloud cover for a good sunset.

We had dinner at Woody's in Lake Wales.  Good ribs but the rest was MEH!

A bunny encounter at the Rural King farm supply store.

Murals are featured on many of the buildings in historic downtown Lake Wales.

A great little diner in nearby Frostproof.

Our server asked if the dogs would like a pup cup.

Jake liked the dog-sized portion of soft-serve ice cream

Jasper ate his with reckless abandon!

I should not have washed the car today!  It poured for several hours!

The day started with another pretty sunrise.

Can we go back for another pup cup today?

Crossing the Indian River into Vero Beach.

A scenic road on the way to the beach.

20 mph onshore winds blew sand in our faces and stirred up the surf.

None of the beaches were dog-friendly.  Jake and Jasper were relieved!

A trespasser at Long Point Campground in Brevard County.

We had a late lunch at Subway in Yeehaw Junction.

It was a very busy day at the dog park.

Jasper bonded with a couple of doodles and a golden retriever.

The sunset lit the sky in front of our motor home . . .

. . . but it was absolutely glorious behind the RV.

Wednesday January 12 - We took a day trip to Winter Garden and looked at some dreary and depressing campgrounds where we will never stay!

Just a few hundred yards from our campground we spotted a pair of

Florida Sand Hill Cranes.

I think Henry is telling Carol, "You stay away from my Henrietta!"

After a full day in the car Jasper was ready to let loose in the dog park.

A sunset struggled to show itself through the clouds!

Thursday January 13 - Housekeeping in the morning then a trip to Grape Hammock Fishing Camp to book an airboat tour.

Grape Hammock Fishing Camp is filled with huge live oak trees.

They're all covered with Spanish moss.

Jasper was happy to get to the park again; his friends were all waiting.

I'll get it!  I'll get it!

I got it!

As usual the day ended with a striking sunset!

Friday January 14 - We drove to Webster Florida to check a new campground, Oak Alley RV Resort..

Carol dashed out bright and early to get a picture of the sunrise.

We were on the road to Webster at about 10:00

Traffic was light on the county roads and we saw a very nice campground

A sunset was beginning to light the sky behind our campsite when we left for dinner.

It was at it's peak as we left Canopy Oaks.

We went to Jake and Jasper's favourite restaurant!

After we had demolished our dinners . . .

. . . dessert arrived.

Jasper attacked with gusto . . .

. . . but he soon settled into a nice steady rhythm.

Jake also made an aggressive start . . .

but maintained his gentlemanly composure throughout dessert!

Saturday January 15 - A quiet, relaxing day at home.  We didn't leave the campground. 

It was a chilly morning with an almost-frosty mist in the air beside the clubhouse.

The rising sun lit this cloud beautifully!

The boys and I sat in the shade while Carol did a few loads of wash at the laundromat.

Just across form the laundry she spotted these Florida Sand Hill Cranes.

It was Henry and Henrietta, they hang around the campground most of the time.

At noon we rode our bikes to the Tiki Hut for lunch.

There was a food truck here that we've been reading about for a year.

Smokin' Oak didn't disappoint.  Carol had a pulled pork quesadilla and I had a baked potato stuffed with pulled chicken.  YUM!

We ate lunch at the bar in the Tiki Hut.

After the big lunch we BBQ'd hot dogs for dinner as the sun set.

Are we ever going to get tired of these sunsets?

Nope, I don't think so.

Sunday January 16 - A windy, rainy day.  Thankfully it cleared up enough for a quick trip to the dog park!

It poured all morning!

Even though the campground is 100% sand there was water pooled everywhere.

Henry and Henrietta said goodbye as we left for a brief shopping trip at 10:00 a.m.

On our way home Carol said, "We gotta eat there!"

The diner was filled with 1950's memorabilia and some classic old 50's tunes were playing.

It was all 50's, that's Jerry Lee Lewis in the picture behind Carol.

This is the men's room door.  The Ladies Room was labelled "Eggs"

Carol wouldn't tell me what the witticisms were in the Ladies Room.

The sky cleared and the rain held off long enough to permit a trip to the dog park.

There were no other dogs there so the boys had to play together.

They had a good romp.

After about a half-hour they were worn out and ready to go home for dinner!

The boys were treated to an early trip to the dog park.

Then we hung out at the campsite until . . .

. . . it was time to ride the airboat.

Grape Hammock Fishing Camp is about 6 miles east of our campground.

In just a few minutes we were racing through the marshes that line the shores of

Lake Kissimmee.

We saw plenty of water birds.

Lots of gators too.

This Snail Kite is on the endangered species list.

Sometimes the gators were hard to spot.

Other times they were right out in the open!

These Axis Deer were far off in the distance on a private island.

The birds were hard to catch on camera but Carol got a few good shots!

Carol and I sat up high with the captain!

Don't we look happy?

A Great Blue Heron waited until the last minute to take off.

Soon Grape Hammock Fishing Camp appeared in the distance.

The captain stopped our vessel on a hillside and took our picture.

As we left the fishing camp we spotted this snazzy aftermarket hood ornament.

Jasper likes the tunnels in the dog park.

The sunset came as Carol was getting our dinner ready.

As the sun put fire in the western sky . . .

. . . an almost-full moon rose in the east.

A pretty end to a great day!

There were a couple of tuckered puppies on the couch as we watched TV!

Sunrise through the dew on the windshield.

We took a drive to Davenport to visit Webb's Candy Factory.. Meh!

The boys had a good afternoon at the dog park.

They ran and ran with their Sheltie pal Brodie.

Before long a pair of doodles and the always speedy Ellie arrived.

Jasper was totally worn out when we cane home.

The sunset is just starting behind our RV.

Soon the sky was ablaze again.

A glorious full moon rose in front of the RV about 45 minutes later but the sky

was too dark to get a really good picture!

Wednesday January 19 - Today we had the RV washed and waxed.

Carol got a nice shot of the moon setting over the Club House behind our campsite.

By 10:30 the crew had arrived to wash and wax the RV.

All the wax was applied by hand.

Then all the buffing was done by hand.

The rig has never looked better!

The boys had a good afternoon at the dog park.

Jasper and Ellie had another good run!

Every night about five minutes before sunset these four trucks pull in and

park beside the Tiki Bar where they are sure to be in my sunset picture.

Thursday January 20 - It warmed up again so today we went for a nice bike ride on trails around the campground, then went to the pool in the afternoon.

Ho hum! Another sunrise.

Before lunch we went for a nice bike ride and stopped to see some goats

on the way home.

After lunch we went to the pool.  Carol told me I was having a bad hair day.

Can we go to the dog park Mommy?  Can we?

There were no other dogs so Jake and Jasper had to play together.

Then Ellie showed up and the race was on!

Look at those silly dogs, running for no reason at all!

Huff!  Puff!  Why can't I catch this dog?

Sorry Jasper, there's no way I'm goin' in there!

On the way home from the dog park we stopped to introduce the dogs to the goats.

Jasper wanted to be friends but Billy Goat Gruff wasn't sure!

When they figured out we weren't going to feed them they wandered back

to the food trough.

Friday January 21 - We did a bit of shopping in the morning, Carol had a swim in the afternoon then the boys spent a long time at the dog park.

After a bit of shopping we stopped at the information centre.

Carol told them, "I'm too old to be navigating with my phone.

I need an old-fashioned road map!"

They gave her one.  Phew!  That's better.

The gators and butterflies were big at the information centre.

Smokin' Oak was serving lunch when we got back home.

Who's that handsome devil taking a picture of the menu?

It was Jasper's last chance to play with Ellie.  She goes home tomorrow.

They had a great time.  Jasper got his second wind.

Then he got his third wind!

"C'mon Dad, let's go.  It's dinner time!'

Saturday January 22 - It was a cold and drizzly day.  Carol left bright and early for a pin trading event at Disney Springs while I stayed home to puppy-sit!

These are very depressed rainy-day dogs!

Carol was very happy, she was able to trade for a Figment popcorn bucket!

She taunted me with a picture of her Earl of Sandwich lunch.

I had to subsist on a peanut butter and banana burrito.

It was pouring rain at Disney Springs so she stayed under cover as much as possible.

Her last stop was at Fort Wilderness.

She picked up a Hoop-Dee-Doo-Review Christmas ornament at the Meadow

and was back home with some excited dogs at 5:15 p.m.

Sunday January 23 - It was a cloudy and cold day . . . high of 59ºF . . . we did a few chores around the RV, shopped at Wal-Mart and took the boys to the dog park.

We were all alone in the dog park.

The boys had a great time playing together.

We heard some loud honking in the sky as four

Florida Sand Hill Cranes landed nearby.

I was able to walk within 50 feet of them to take a few pictures.

They were still grazing as we left the dog park to go home.

It was cloudy all day but cleared enough to allow some brief sunset colour!

We woke up this morning to frost and mist!

There was frost on the car and on the ground.

The mist made everything look spooky!

We drove to Haines City to visit Ridge Island Groves.

The family-run business sells oranges, juice and a lot of other interesting stuff!

Carol spotted some flowers she had to have a picture of . . .

Here is the flower she spotted!

Jake insisted that we take his picture too!

I didn't want my picture taken so I hid behind an ice cream cone!

After we enjoyed some homemade ice cream at the grove we went to Plant City

to see the strawberry fields.  We didn't see strawberries but we did see some

very nice homes on the historic district of the quaint old town.

We stopped at a park in Plant City to give the dogs a stretch and a drink of water.

Just a few miles south of Plant City, as we neared Highway 60,

there they were, field after field of strawberries!

Back at Canopy Oaks the boys enjoyed a romp in the dog park!

The sunset began while I was barbequing dinner.

As the sun dropped the colours improved.

Soon the bottoms of the clouds were a beautiful red!

Our time at Canopy Oaks is slipping away.  We're going to miss these sunrises!

It quickly clouded over and was a dreary Tuesday.  Rain all day long!

There were morning naps and afternoon naps.

Jasper didn't mid the napping at all!

We took a drive to Florida's Natural.  This citrus processing factory is a

co-operative owned by hundreds of Florida citrus grove owners.

It's on Highway #27 just north of Lake Wales.

We sampled a variety of juices in their Visitor's Centre.

Do you remember Donald Duck Orange Juice?

This is where it comes from!

Along with plenty of other brands.

There was no evidence of a sunrise today!

We were so bored that we took a 40-mile round trip to buy an itsy-bitsy

pair of pliers for Carol's kitchen drawer.  It was a dreary drive!

It's usually a cheery scene when we enter Canopy Oaks . . .

. . . but not today!

All was quiet at the Tiki Hut!  We stayed warm and dry all day in the RV,

but the pups are really missing their friends at the dog park!

It looks like Jake and Jasper might someday become friends.

Jasper made a new friend, Pepper, a female Australian Blue Heeler.

They ran so fast they had to bank their turns like motorcyclists.

It looked like they ran about 400 miles in just a few minutes!

Soon Brodie arrived to join in the fun.

Jake had a good run too.

Carol wanted a tuna melt for lunch so we hopped in the car.

An hour and a quarter later we were at Disney Springs.

This place makes the best sandwiches we've ever had!

A tuna melt for Carol, a club sandwich for me.  Doesn't she look happy?

Naturally Carol had to stop at Disney Pin Traders to see the new merchandise!

I roamed around and took a few pictures.

Carol caught up with me in the Co-op Shop and hopped in Mr. Toad's car.

Then she posed in front of a brand-new 'retro' billboard.

Carol browsed through the World of Disney store

while I waited outside near the fountain.

Then we returned to the Lime Garage and headed home to the dogs.

We enjoyed a quiet night in the RV.

We met Linda and Deb in the parking lot at 9:30

These are the flowers in bloom right now.

Carol started taking photos of the flowers almost immediately . . .

. . . and she got some great shots!

Some of the local wildlife!

We were back home at 1:30 and took the boys to the park in the late afternoon.

Jasper led a few friends on a merry chase!

Jake and his friends were a little more refined.

The wind howled all night and it was cold this morning,

but at least the sunrise was back!

We packed the dogs in the car and went to the flea market.

We didn't see a thing we needed.

Late in the afternoon we headed to the dog park.

The boys were all alone again and had to play together.

A dog in a space suit dropped in.  Jasper decided he was no fun at all!

He went back to playing with Jake.

The chilly day ended with a nice sunset.

The sky to the east lit up nicely too.

Don't let the pretty sunrise fool you.  It was a cold morning.

Yes, that's frost on the car.  It was 29ºF last night.

We packed away a few more things before we pull out on Tuesday,

then took the pups to the dog park.

We were all alone for a while so the boys had to play together.

Soon Brodie and Pepper joined the pack.

Jasper and Brodie

Brodie and Jasper

Jake and Brodie

Jake

We only have tomorrow to enjoy another Canopy Oaks sunset!

Another frosty sunrise.

We were flanked by orange groves for most of the drive to Okeechobee.

This field was being prepared for a new strawberry crop.

We were surprised to pass through Lake Placid!

Lake Okeechobee is the largest lake in Florida.

It's surrounded by water control levees so you can only see it

from specially built viewing areas.

We had lunch in Okeechobee.

We shared an appetizer of hushpuppies with honey butter.

(We ate most of them before we thought to take a picture.)

Then we shared clam chowder and a shrimp and haddock plate.

Yum!

We caught our last Canopy Oaks sunset before heading out for dinner.

The sunset was still lighting the western sky as we left the campground.

Some parts of the road seemed like a long dark tunnel!

I wanted to sty home for dinner.  Carol wanted Chinese.

The dogs both voted for pup cups.  They won!

Jasper couldn't believe his eyes when the pup cups came out.

He ate like an animal.

Jake was much more genteel.

Jasper ate like a demon until it was all gone.

Jake remained a gentleman.

Our last Canopy Oaks sunrise . . . until next year!

The RV cast a long, sad shadow as we left the campground at 9:40.

We've been seeing this flock of storks at the same culvert for a month.

Orange groves everywhere!

We've learned a few shortcuts to bypass the construction in Lake Wales.

Both of the dogs settled quickly on the couch.  Jasper is now a veteran traveller.

At 10:00 a.m. Carol received a text message - campsite #703 was

ready for us. We turned from Highway 27 onto I-4 at 11:00 a.m.

Only ten minutes later we were on Disney property.

Our Happy Place!

We took the Fort Wilderness exit just before the Magic Kingdom gate.

We followed another Happy Camper as we drove to the campground.

At 11:15 we were home.

We were all set up in our campsite by 1:45 and picked up out rental golf cart.

Carol took the golf cart to The Meadow to browse the shop.

At 4:00 we took the boys to the dog park.  Jasper met Stella.

They bonded quickly. (Do you see Stella's Hidden Mickey?)

They ran and they rassled!

Then the rested and ran and they rassled some more.

Jake made  friend too!

Here we are, all set up for the week.

We drove to the Polynesian Resort for dinner at Kona Café.

At 7:00 p.m. we headed back home to meet friends Curtis and Alek.

These two were having a drink as we left the campground.

We always enjoy the Festival of the Arts.

The Chorizo and Potato Empanata was terrific!

Carol had the Grilled Cheese, I had the Bacon, Apple and Brie Grilled Cheese.

This guy snuck up behind me and ate half of my sandwich!

We rode Soarin' with this guy!

Can we go to the dog park Momma?

As we entered Animal Kingdom we ran into DeVine.

The first time we've seen her in a few years!

The safari was good today.  Lots of animals posed for us.

The setting sun turned Spaceship Earth a brilliant gold as we passed by.

The Broadway stars put on a great show for us!

We wrapped up our day with dinner at Teppan Edo.

I almost ran over this armadillo with the golf cart this morning.

A bright, sunny day was ahead of us!

We took a spin with Buzz Lightyear.

The hot dogs at Casey's are always great!

This is the 'clean-up crew' at Casey's.

Back at the campsite we relaxed for a while!

We headed back to EPCOT to meet a few Disney Artists.  Carol bought prints

from Don 'Ducky' Williams and Alex Maher who were both there to sign them.

We also met our friends Curtis and Alek and had a nice visit with them.

The display of coloured lights on Spaceship Earth can be dazzling.

As we left the park we enjoyed the 'Rainbow Connection' light show

set to the song by Kermit and Miss Piggy.  Wonderful!

It was a leisurely morning; we got away at 10:00 a.m..

Carol said, "It's much easier to leave Disney when you know you're not going home!"

We saw plenty of pretty areas . . .

. . . and crossed some magnificent waterways . . .

. . . but it was overcast and dreary with occasional showers.

It wasn't as pretty as it could have been.

Our exit came into view at 2:30.

The street leading to the campground was very inviting!

The pool and hot tub were inviting too!

But the campsite isn't so hot.  The place is really cramped.  I had to back the RV up a few feet when we saw that our living room slide-out was going to hit the awning of the motor home next door.

We needed a shoehorn to get the RV parked in our itty-bitty campsite yesterday.

We took a quick trip to Walmart for groceries and Jasper had a run in the dog park.

The air was 65º but the water was about 85º.

We had the pool and hot tub all to ourselves!

We've been sticking close to home for two days because Jake has been suffering with an upset tummy.

Our social activity was limited to a quick trip to Costco for some provisions and a stop at Petco for some dog medicine.

Jasper enjoyed a long run in the dog park with Ida, a golden retriever from Nashville.

After dinner we enjoyed another trip to the pool and hot tub.  This time Carol remembered her noodle.

Ahhhhh . . . Bliss!

We were on the road at 10:00 a.m.

Less than a mile from our campground we turned onto SR41 and followed it

for 90 miles through the headwaters of the Everglades

There was swamp everywhere.  Carol spotted so many gators that she

got hoarse telling me about it!

Waterfowl were everywhere.

Cypress and water lilies too!

In some areas a levee lined the north side of the highway.

Sluice gates control the amount of water entering the Everglades system.

Carol was dazzled by fields full of sunflowers!

Then came the bridge that took us to The Keys!

The colour of the water is a magnificent aquamarine.

The bridges connecting the Keys seem endless.

We arrived at our campground at 2:55 p.m.

The pool is behind those palm trees.

We hope to get there tomorrow!

We went to the waterfront to see the sunset.

Pelicans were beginning to roost as we waited.

We were rewarded with some nice colour and a great reflection!

The blue dot shows where we are.

We re facing north and can see the Gulf of Mexico

(between other campers) through the windshield.

The palm tree behind the RV is loaded with coconuts.

Jasper found his first coconut.  What should he do with it?

Maybe I should eat it?

Carol walked out on the pier and found some pelicans posing on posts.

The campers along the seawall have a great view of the sunsets!

We went to IHOP in Marathon for breakfast.

Mmmm!  Good coffee!

The Gulf looked cold and choppy today.

It was breezy enough that the pelicans could soar with no effort!

In the afternoon I took Jasper to the dog park.

He met Clover, a Golden Retriever from North Carolina.

They both liked to run and they covered a lot of miles while I watched.

Jasper will sleep well tonight!

After a dreary, overcast and drizzly day the sunset began to show some

promise as we drove to Island Fish Company for dinner..

While we waited for our table we took some pictures,

starting with this 20 year-old iguana.

Dinner was great.  I started with conch chowder and we shared an order of shrimp and lobster egg rolls.  Carol had shrimp scampi and I ordered coconut shrimp.  Everything was delicious!

For desert we ordered key lime pie and deep-fried key lime pie (top).  The key lime pie was wonderful . . . the deep fried version was interesting - but not a do-over!

This is the view of the Gulf we've enjoyed out our windshield the last two days.

We took the dogs for a nice stroll along the sea wall.

It was a good day for bird-watching!

There were pelicans everywhere.

There's a beautiful sandy sitting area.  Great for watching sunsets!

The dogs weren't totally comfortable with the waves lapping behind them.

They were much more relaxed when they were further from the water.

Have people really harassed the crocodiles enough to make this sign necessary?

We were on the road at 11:30 a.m..

Much of the 39 mile trip was on bridges like this one.  It is 7 miles long!

Many old railway bridges were left in place and fishermen

walk out them for miles to cast their lines.

Seven miles is a very long way!

If we win the lottery Carol wants to build a cottage here!

It's the first time the dogs have been to the Keys.

Jasper seems more excited than Jake.

We hit a traffic jam a few miles out at sea.

We arrived at Sugarloaf Key/Key West KOA at 1:00 p.m.

The campground was totally destroyed by Hurricane Irma in 2017.

It was rebuilt from scratch and reopened less than a year ago.

We were surprised at how lush it is.

It's much nicer than it was when we were here in 2008.

The blue dot shows where we'll be for the next six days.

We were all set up and settled in by 2:00 p.m. so we

relaxed on our patio for a few minutes.

The pool and hot tub area is gorgeous.

There are several 'communal fire-pits' that are used nightly.

The view is even better when you're in the water.

Ahhh!  Good times!

I took the dogs to the park, where Jasper met Bailey.

Bailey is from Cincinnati and loves to run.  They were a good match!

A few other dogs joined the party.

Jasper even ran with a few of them . . .

. . . but he decided that Bailey was more fun!

The sun was setting behind the clubhouse and Carol was

barbecuing salmon for dinner when we got home.  Life is good!

I sat on our patio and watched the Canadian women's Olympic hockey team defeat Sweden.

We took the boys for a walk along the shore.

The bridge in the background is US Highway 1, about Mile 17.

We went out on a quick shopping run.  Carol picked up a map at this Visitor Centre.

We spotted our first Key West chicken in the Winn-Dixie parking lot.

We had lunch on the patio then went to the pool

The pool-side bar is made from an old Airstream trailer.

Hibiscus in bloom beside the pool.

Pickles & Tessa say hello to Jasper.

Tessa and Jasper were both enthusiastic runners!

They had a dance before Tessa had to leave.

Dark clouds were looming when we got back from the dog park.

Homeland Security had lowered their tethered monitoring blimp.

We had dinner just across US Highway 1

We had an obscured view of the singer.  Unfortunately we could still hear him.

We sat outdoors in a canopied dining area.

The decor was nautical.

A sunset lit the sky as we waited for dinner.

Carol had Mahi Tacos.

I had a Lobster Reuben.

We wrapped up a delicious dinner with Carrot Cake and Key Lime Pie.

We saw a lot of bridges, water and boats on our way to Key West.

Carol was excited when she saw this store.

There aren't many left.

Just a few seconds after she went in several guys

came out with these signs.

She managed to find a few bargains just before they shut down forever.

Key West reminds us of both New Orleans and Bermuda.

We hope to get back in the next few days and ride this trolley.

Water, water everywhere!

Carol asked, "What kind of birds are those?"

"They're pigeons." I said.

"No, the ones with the orange beaks."

'Oh, they're Black Skimmers."

This one's a Pelican

And a Key West Chicken (Jasper loves chasing these guys!)

This catamaran ferry runs to Marco Island and Fort Meyers.

This one takes divers out on excursions.

Carol stopped here and bought two slices of pie.

Captain Tony owns the original site of Sloppy Joes.

We found a table at Sloppy Joes and ordered lunch.

This guy sang a bit louder than Jasper liked so we had to move.

They found us a table at Joe's Tap Room.

We were on the patio and Jasper was much happier.

We could listen to the band on the rooftop across

the street at Paradise Pizza.

Carol had a Philly Cheese Steak.

I had a Sloppy Joe, the sandwich that made this joint famous!

Naturally there was Key Lime Pie.  This one was drizzled

with raspberry sauce.

As we wandered back to the car Jasper picked a fight with

a porcelain pug.  Jake was so embarrassed!

When we got home Carol went to the pool;

the dogs and I had a nap.

At the pool Carol met Echo.

She's a 27 year-old macaw.

Soon it got personal!

We had dinner in the RV and then sat out on our patio listening to the music of Howard Livingston and the Mile Marker 24 Band.  When we checked in at Sugarloaf KOA last Thursday they told us that this was the most popular band in The Keys and we shouldn't miss them.

As it turned out, we couldn't possibly have missed them.  The pool-side stage that they played on was only about a hundred feet from our RV.  We could hear them from inside the coach but we sat outside where the sound was clearer.

The Thursday report was correct - we did enjoy their music!

Sunday February 13 - It was a rainy day in the tropics.

This is what a tropical storm looks like out our back window.

The front window view looks like this.

By noon it had cleared a bit so we ate BBQ'd hot dogs on the patio.

We were all alone at the dog park so Jasper and Jake had to play together.

Then along came Maverick and Zoe, Pomerainian Huskies or Pomskys.

Zoe and Jasper were well matched in speed . . .

. . . but Zoe could zig a lot faster than Jake could zag!

They kept us amused until they ran out of wind!

After giving the dogs a run Carol and I headed to the pool for a dip.

Jasper watched closely as we ate dinner.

We watched the Super Bowl game.

We may be the only two people on the planet who think the half-time show sucked!

The dogs both slept through the game.

We boarded the Old Town Trolley at stop #3

It was a great tour of the city.  Our driver/narrator, Pam, was very good.

We heard about pirates and presidents, merchants and mobsters,

writers and dreamers, and some other stories that might have been true.

This canal cuts all the way through the island.

The shrimp boats are huge!

This house is built from some sort of stone that cleans itself.

Some of the architecture in Key West is amazing!

Most of the saloons in town are dog friendly.  Jasper doesn't much care!

This building stands at the southern end, Mile 0, of US Highway #1

The northern end is in Fort Kent Maine, 2,370 miles away.

This Banyan tree covers three different properties and the roots span two driveways.

Harry S. Truman's Little White House.

This guy's been everywhere!

We had lunch at The Breakfast Club.

We sat outside.  It was windy and cold.

Carol had a BLT Bagel.

I had Rosti with bacon, Swiss cheese and scrambled eggs.

When we got home Jasper had a solo run in the park.

We went to Big Pine Key for dinner at Kiki's Sandbar.

This guy's been everywhere too!

The sun was setting as we were seated at an outdoor table on the beach.

The band was playing in that Tiki Hut behind me.

Carol said, 'Uh-oh.  Look under the table!'  Jasper had been digging.

Yikes - look at my shoe!  Jasper had never seen that much sand.

"Digging?  Nope, not me!"

We finished up out Valentines Day dinner with some delicious Key Lime Pie!

Our snowbird adventure is at the mid-point.  We have about six weeks done and six weeks to go.

Tomorrow we head out in the morning and drive about 305 miles to Pine Island KOA near Fort Myers.  We started to pack a few things away to get ready for the drive and it turned into a massive spring cleaning!

For six weeks Carol has been stuffing any and all new acquisitions into any nook or cranny she could find.  Naturally that meant that when we needed it we could not find it.  So this morning she unpacked, repacked and organized all of those nooks and crannies.

While she was at that I took down all the window screens and removed several years worth of dust, dirt and grime.  Then all the windows got a good cleaning and the screens went back up.  The difference is striking.  I'll probably do that again in another three or four years!  Well . . . maybe.

Carol vacuumed and dusted the RV and then it was time for lunch.  Hot dogs on the patio.   Mmmmmm!

After lunch we drove to Big Pine Key for a few things Carol needed at CVS.  I think the CVS trip was a ruse . . . she didn't buy much there, but on the way home she was quick to spot this ice cream joint.  We each enjoyed a tasty treat under the watchful eyes of the dogs.  They're missing their pup cups!

The dogs enjoyed another romp in the dog park!

Then Carol and I took our last soothing soak in this magnificent pool!

The poolside area is lush, with lots of tables, chairs and lounge chairs.

We're going to miss this!

As I mentioned earlier, this is about the half-way point in our Snowbird trip.  I suspect that those of you who are following us from home are finding that the report is getting slow to load.  There are a lot of pictures and they take time to load.  It takes time for me too, when I'm opening the page to add each day's activity.

It's time to start a fresh page so that it will respond more quickly for all of us.

So, tomorrow's update will be on Page 2 which you can access by clicking HERE.

Once you have followed that blue link above, be sure to bookmark the new page!

See you there!