The Not So Sunshine State

January 14th we began our drive down to Florida to visit friends from our neighborhood. Our first stop was Palm Coast, where the Hamiltons spend their winter on a small yacht. While we had been on the boat before, we had never gone out on it with them. The weather was cool and a bit windy, but it cooperated enough that we were able to boat on the intercostal waterway for a few hours. It was fun, and it's always great to see them!

Palm Coast

After a couple days in Palm Coast we headed south to Key Largo. I had been there once before in 1991 for a meeting, but Jim had never visited. In Key Largo we stayed with the Staleys in their condo. Again it was unseasonably cold and rainy for this part of Florida. Our plan was to get in lots of pickleball, but we only had good enough weather to do that once. One day was actually sunny and warm, and we went out on the Staleys boat. I loved seeing the birds, dolphins and the manatee that came to drink the fresh water from the hose. That ended up being our one and only warm, sunshiny day the whole trip. Again, we made the best of the situation and enjoyed being with our friends.

Key Largo

Our next stop was a quick one in Naples, where we had lunch with the Bambergers. I had met them in 2017 in St. Louis through pickleball. I wish we would have more time, but it was good to reconnect with them in person rather than just through Facebook.

Naples

The last destination was Port Charlotte to visit the Stuckeys. It rained every day but one, and even that day was quite cool. No pickleball for me as I did not pack warm enough clothes to play outside, but Jim was able to play once. We did visit the Edison and Ford Winter Estates, which we really liked. It was nice to get outside and walk, even if it was cool and windy yet again. 

We ended up staying one extra day in Port Charlotte as it was bitterly cold and snowy in the Charlotte area. When we did leave we drove straight through, which we normally don't do. But with the weather not cooperating, there was really no place we wanted to stop and see for the night.

Port Charlotte

Note to self - maybe going to Florida in January is not a good idea! 

Village Life

We just returned from a week in The Villages. This 55+ community has its own zip code as it is home to over 145,000 people. Located outside of Orlando, Florida, The Villages has more than 71,000 homes, and that number grows daily with no signs of slowing down. They have their own fire and police departments, post offices, hospitals, and parks and recreation department. You can pretty much find any service you need within the community.

We have heard a lot about The Villages, and some friends of ours from St. Louis purchased a home there several years ago. I actually met them through pickleball, so this seemed like an opportunity to see them and play on some of the 100 pickleball courts located there.

We were the first guests at a newly listed AirBNB. The owners just purchased the property a month ago, though they live only 10 minutes away. The rental came with a golf cart, which was important as we flew in and didn't want to rent a car. You don't even need a car as golf cart paths connect you to stores, restaurants, recreation centers and the various town centers. As a bonus, our home had a swimming pool, hot tub, fire pit and small game room, so we had a lot to entertain ourselves with if we didn't feel like going out.

There are over 1,000 clubs, so if you are bored that is totally on you. It's like summer camp on steroids. Many people buy in there due to all the golf courses, which are free or very low cost to play on. We are not golfers, but we saw tons of people on the pickleball courts, tennis courts and softball fields. We did not see a lot of walkers, and one thing that surprised me was the lack of sidewalks. You have to walk on the golf cart paths, which also carry bicyclists. That seems a little dangerous, and maybe that is why not too many people were walking.

Overall we had a very nice time, and met some great people on the pickleball courts. We played at four of the different recreation centers. We also visited two of the town centers and enjoyed listening to live music, which happens every night at all the town centers. It was nice that we could get to the grocery store and multiple restaurants in less than 10 minutes in the golf cart.

While I would not personally want to live there full-time because it is so huge and lacks the sense of community that we have here, I definitely would consider going back especially if another couple joined us.

The Villages

Visiting the Sunshine State

Last week we traveled to Florida to visit some friends from the neighborhood who purchased a condo in Port Charlotte last year. Originally this trip was supposed to take place in January of 2023, but they got sick and we had to cancel our trip.

At their suggestion we had purchased tickets on Allegiant Air, which flies out of the Concord-Padgett Airport (as opposed to Charlotte Douglas) directly to Punta Gorda, Florida. It is a discount airline, which I have always tried to avoid. But the pricing was quite decent on it, despite bucking up for checking a bag, picking a seat and Priority Boarding. The package deal also gave us cancellation insurance, which we ended up needing in January.

What they don't tell you about the insurance is that all taxes and fees are non-refundable, and the price of the insurance is deducted from the credit that goes onto your account. So needless to say, you are not made whole on the deal. But at least we were able to rebook the tickets.

We were dropped off at the airport on October 23rd, and were very grateful that we had Priority status. The regular line was quite long, but we only had a couple of people ahead of us so we got through quickly. I was amused by the fact that if you needed to charge any devices at the Concord airport, there was a fee for that as well.

On the plane we found the seats to be fairly spacious, if not the most padded in the industry. There are no frills, however. No snacks or drinks are provided, though they were offered for sale. As the flight was less than an hour and a half long, it was no big deal to us.

Being picked up at the Punta Gorda Airport was a breeze, and we were quickly off to begin our Sunshine State adventure with our good friends. We played a LOT of pickleball, both in their community as well as the Pickleplex in Punta Gorda, which has 24 courts. Wow! 

We also visited their community pool, went out to dinner with their friends, and played some rousing games of Mexican Train. But the thing I enjoyed the most this trip was going to the Peace River Gardens. It was a beautiful day to walk through the botanical gardens and see not only the plant material but also the wonderful sculptures they had on site. 

Peace River Gardens

We flew home on Friday the 27th, and were again thankful that our status enabled us to skip the long, general check-in line. It is certainly the only way I would consider flying this airline again.

It was another fun trip, but I am happy that we don't have any others planned for 2023. It's time to stay home for a bit and enjoy life here.

Down to Destin

Last month we went to Destin, Florida, a place neither of us had been. While many of our friends in St. Louis made an annual pilgrimage there, that was not something we had done. Some good friends of mine have an ocean-front condo they rent out, so we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to visit. On the way down, we stopped at Stone Mountain State Park outside of Atlanta, Georgia. 

Stone Mountain is the world's largest exposed granite outcrop. By Georgia state law, the entire 3,200-acre park is designated as a memorial to the Confederacy. Today it is rather commercialized with an amusement park, train and gondolas to take you up the mountain, and they charge a ridiculous $20 entry fee which only covers parking. We hiked in different parts of the park, ending up in the area where you can get close to a memorial carving in the side of the mountain. It depicts Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. Located 400 feet from the ground, the carving measures 90 x 190 feet and is recessed 42 feet into the mountain. Work began on the carving in 1924, but for various reasons was not completed until 1972. 

Stone Mountain State Park

From the park we drove to Montgomery, Alabama where we spent the night. The next morning we continued on to Destin, stopping first at a delightful gulf-side restaurant for a late lunch before going to my friend's house to pick up the condo keys. It was great to see them, and we had a couple of meals together and played games and pickleball.

lunch spot and balcony view

The weather was not the greatest while we were there, with lots of clouds, high winds and a few showers thrown in. Nevertheless, we made the most of our time in Destin. We played some pickleball, visited museums and wildlife refuges, did some walking on the beach and very much enjoyed a trip to the Gulfarium. We are glad we got a chance to see the area, but will probably check out other parts of Florida before considering a trip back there.

Destin, Florida

March Madness

Jacksonville

No, my title does not refer to college basketball, though it was fun while the ISU Cyclones lasted in the tournaments. Instead, I am talking about our decision to drive to Florida for vacation during Spring Break Madness. Some friends of ours purchased a condo on the west side of Florida, and invited us to come and visit them. 

We thought if we were going to make the trip, why not drive and see some sights along the way? While our stops were not necessarily ones that spring breakers would frequent, we did not take into account the traffic getting there. Or coming home, for that matter, as the snow birds were heading back to their northern homes. Wow! There were many stretches that were stop and go, making a long drive even that much longer. Live and learn - we won't do that again.

On the way down we stayed in Jacksonville for a few days, which enabled us to visit local forts, preserves and plantations. One of the highlights was a store called Jax Pickleball, which sold everything you need for this sport. I picked up some new pickleball shoes (which are hard to find and harder yet to be able to try on), and Jim got a new paddle. We also drove down to St. Augustine, which was packed! I think we got the last parking spot in a 3 mile radius, so we left the car for the day and walked everywhere instead. I certainly did not think that town would be a spring break destination, but boy was I wrong.

Vero Beach

From Jacksonville we traveled to Vero Beach where some friends of ours have a boat that they winter on. It was fun to be able to see it, and them. While it was too choppy to take it out, we enjoyed sitting outside on the boat enjoying drinks and snacks with them. The next morning we drove to Jupiter, where our beloved St. Louis Cardinals have their spring training games. How great it was to take in a Cardinals game for the first time since we moved away from St. Louis!

St. Louis Cardinals game

After that we crossed the state to go to the Punta Gorda area of Florida. We spent four nights with our friends at their condo, and we can certainly see why they jumped on the opportunity to purchase a condo there. The birding in their community is great, and all the flowering trees, shrubs and flowers really made me miss our gardens back in St. Louis. The Charlotte area is sadly lacking in blooms, especially our community as it is only a couple years old.

Punta Gorda area

The last part of our journey was spent in St. Simon, Georgia. I picked this location because it was about halfway home, and also we had never been to this part of Georgia. It did not disappoint. There was a lot to explore in the area, and we enjoyed our time there. 

St. Simon area

Overall, we had a wonderful trip. We just won't make the mistake of taking another one down south in March. Otherwise I might have to switch vehicles with this woman.

Motherhood: It's Not Just a Job, It's an Adventure Part 2

So the summer after Andy's sophomore year of college he got an internship with a different company working on a highway project down in Florida. So again we loaded all of his necessities for a summer away into the car, this time heading south. We stopped outside of Atlanta to spend the night, having secured a reservation ahead of time at the motel. We checked in with a clerk who barely spoke English, and who didn't really address us at all because he was busy talking to a couple of shady characters. When we backed the car up to the door of our room, said shady characters appeared by our car and started asking all kinds of questions about why we were there. Already feeling uneasy about our stay, we immediately decided to find a different motel as we firmly believed Andy's belongings would no longer be in the car come morning. We drove to the south side of Atlanta, which was probably smart as we would not have to deal with rush hour traffic in the morning.

I had reserved a nice one bedroom condo right on the water for us to stay in while we searched for an apartment for him. It was great to be able to have the kitchen so we did not have to eat all of our meals out. This time I had some apartments lined up ahead of time for us to go look at, since he was in a major metropolitan area and this was actually an option. He ended up selecting the one that was on a peninsula near St. Petersburg, which meant crossing a loooong bridge every day. But I have to say the area was much cooler with the ocean breezes, and it was not as congested as Tampa. The bridge didn't end up causing him too much trouble as his hours were such that he was rarely in rush hour.

Because he was in such a great place, Katie and I flew down to spend a week in July. She and I had a two bedroom condo on the beach at Madeira, and it was awesome. Well, except for the hurricane that came through. I had to lower the hurricane shutters and the whole nine yards. We did not end up having to evacuate, which was great. But it was a scary experience nonetheless. Andy had to work every day, but he spent each evening with us so it worked out pretty well. Katie and I even managed a visit to Busch Gardens, which we felt was a bit over-rated.

This time when Andy was ready to come home, he suggested that I pay for a plane ticket for his girlfriend, Megan, to fly down and help him drive back. Worked for me - I was going to have to buy a ticket for myself anyway. So Megan flew down and they were able to spend a little time together before driving back, and he dropped her off at her home in Indiana before coming back to St. Louis.

The only down side of this internship was that the apartment owner claimed that Andy had "ruined" the brand new (not!) couch cushions, saying they were all out of shape and wouldn't fit the cane frame anymore. So they refused to give us back the deposit. Since he was already back in St. Louis when they made this claim, there wasn't too much we could do about it. Whatever...