Snowbirds 2023

We began our 2022/23 Snowbird season with a 20 night stay at Walt Disney World. You can read about that adventure by clicking on the link HERE. On Sunday November 20th we moved to The Resort at Canopy Oaks near Lake Wales Florida.





The Carillon tower at Bok Tower Gardens (pictured on the right) rings with music twice a day when the carilloner plays at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.
The sunsets at Canopy Oaks are magnificent.	Jackie lives at Canopy Oaks.
	Henry and Henrietta live at Canopy Oaks too!
	A day trip to EPCOT to see friends Francine and Carrie.

The brass section from the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra	It was a wonderful Christmas concert at Bok Tower Gardens.
Carol had our campsite looking festive for Christmas!



We always enjoy the Candlelight Processional at EPCOT. This year we were lucky to see and hear Neil Patrick Harris narrate. He's one of our favourites.



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The greenhouses at Living With the Land were lit up for the holidays!



The gates to El Retiro, the Edward Buck Estate at Bok Tower Gardens.	The mansion and the grounds around it are amazing!




There's no place like home for the holidays!	Even when your home is a long way from home!

We met some friends from Ontario for a fun-filed day at EPCOT. Pictured to the right is a SpaceX launch we watched from our campsite. We saw three launches while we were there.
On Monday January 30th we returned tp Walt Disney World for a 4 night stay. You can read about that adventure by clicking on the link HERE. On Friday February 3rd we moved to Oak Alley RV Resort near Webster Florida.
We were less than thrilled with the campground at Oak Alley but we found plenty to do in the area! Jasper, on the other hand, was comfortable at Oak Alley . . . but of course he's comfortable anywhere!


	The springs at Homosassa were full of manatees. We had a terrific day there!

	A day trip to the Magic Kingdom.

	Friends Alek and Curtis took us as guests to a special cast member preview of the newest roller coaster at Walt Disney World. Tron Lightcycle/Run is awesome!




	'Wanna see some gators dear?'


Lake Panasoffkee was alive with gators!
	Another day trip to EPCOT for the final Disney on Broadway concert featuring our favourite Broadway stars.



	Michael James Scott - The Genie in Aladdin
Kissy Simmons - Nala in The Lion King	Ashley Brown - Mary Poppins
Josh Strickland - Tarzan




We had a great day in Dunedin.

	Bo Bichette struck out but the Blue Jays beat the Detroit Tigers!

We went back to Walt Disney World for a third time on Monday March 6th and stayed 6 nights. You can read about that adventure by clicking on the link HERE. On Sunday March 12th we moved to Coastal Georgia RV Resort near Brunswick Georgia.




'Howdy Dude!'



a 400 year-old live oak tree in Brunswick Georgia.
This tree is so big it even makes Gary look small!
The azaleas as we entered St. Simons' Island were a bit past their prime, but they were still gorgeous!
Can you tell how much we like these live oak trees?
The live oaks canopy many of the roads in the area. Beautiful!



On Friday March 17th we left Brunswick Georgia behind and drove 180 miles north to James Island County Park near Charleston South Carolina. This is Jasper's favourite campground. He just loves the dog park. There's a 10 acre fenced area with grass where the dogs can run and there's a 2 acre pond with 3 sandy beaches for them to wade and swim. If you're a dog this place is close to heaven!


We spent Sunday morning at the Charleston City Market. Each of the four buildings that house the market is a city block long, so it stretches a full four blocks in the heart of Charleston's French Quarter.

	Sunday afternoon we took Jake and Jasper to the dog park. We're convinced that Jasper recognized it immediately. He took off toward the 2 acre pond and began splashing and romping with his pals from last year! He'll sleep well tonight!


Monday we stopped at Charles Towne Landing and it looked wonderful so we decided to return on a warmer day to explore the grounds and historic exhibits!
Cherokee Rose
	We toured Isle of Palms and nearby Sullivan's Island and saw some beautiful beaches, dunes and opulent beach homes . . . but the photographer let the chauffeur down. She didn't take a single picture!
Jake chilled at the dog park.	Jasper bonded with Goose, a dachshund terrier cross.
	Goose runs like the wind and he wore Jasper out!
Despondent dogs on a rainy day!












	On our last full day in Charleston we went to Rita's Seaside Grille in nearby Folly Beach for a late breakfast. It's directly across from the Folly Beach Pier and they have a dog-friendly patio area.
1 ketchup, 1 mustard, 1 mayo and 3 different hot sauces. Yup, we're in the south!
The dune is being restored after construction of the new pier.
	Jasper enjoyed his last trip to his 'favourite-est-ever' dog park! Tomorrow morning we pull out of Charleston South Carolina and head to Asheville North Carolina.
	We left James Island County Park at 10:00 a.m. Rain, construction, a traffic accident and a closed highway turned our 4 hour drive into a 6 1/2 hour ordeal.
Bumpy roads through the construction zone made Jasper an unhappy camper!
We crossed into North Carolina at 3:40 p.m.	The beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains
	It was a gloomy, drizzly dreary morning but the afternoon forecast looked good so we loaded the dogs in the car and headed to the town of Cherokee, about an hour away. That's where the Blue Ridge Parkway begins it's 469 mile journey north and east to Staunton Virginia.
Cherokee is a Native American community.	The town is full of bears!

	There are lots of spots along the Parkway to pull off and enjoy the amazing vistas.


Carol didn't like the sound of Rattlesnake Mountain Tunnel

	Look behind that Plott Balsam sign and you'll see Ranger Smith's tower way off in the distance!
It was an awesome drive. We spent over three hours admiring amazing mountain-scapes, row upon row. There were cascading mountain streams, rocky valleys and wonders of nature in every direction. We plan to come back to see more someday. Today we covered about 35 miles, we'll need a few weeks if we hope to see the remaining 435 miles. I guess we'll have to be happy seeing another small section of the Parkway!

A Monday morning trolley tour of Asheville
	We saw some grand old homes!

The Grove Park Inn	Walls are made with local stone 5 feet thick.
The boyhood home of author Thomas Wolfe

The River Arts District beside The French Broad River	The warehouses contain hundreds of art galleries . . .
. . . and also serve as a canvas for some artists!
The boys enjoyed the dog park here in Fletcher North Carolina.	But Jasper still prefers the one in Charleston!
	The dogs were calm when we got on the road at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday.
There are more hills on northbound I-26 than on I-77	The motor home had to work hard to get us up some of them!
Jasper didn't like the bumpy road and the roaring engine.	The roadside in Virginia was ablaze with redbud blossoms!
We stopped for the night at a Cracker Barrel in Staunton Virginia.	We left at 8:30 this morning. Jasper decided that it was more comfy sitting on Jake than sitting on the couch.
	In Pennsylvania we saw our first snow in over a year!
Bumpy roads in Pennsylvania put Jasper back up to higher altitude.	At one point he straddled the back of the couch and rode it like a mechanical bull.
We spent the night in a Pennsylvania truck stop and got an early morning start on our final day.	As we approached the border we were happy to see no snow in sight!

	It was just past noon when our freeway exit came into view. We pulled off the highway and were home by 12:30. The dogs were happy to curl up for a snooze in the house, they have had enough travel for a while. Now to get unpacked!