Our Florida home - November 7, 2024
Orange and Black greetings on this Halloween 2022...
We've had a leisurely day working on computer stuff, games and reading on our I-pads. I got my suitcase out for this weekend with the sisters in Wisconsin. Also went for a couple walks. There was a chance of rain and skies were threatening, but didn't happen - mostly 88 and sunny.
We did get some sprinkles this evening - maybe more later?
Hot 'n sunny. We went to 9:30 Mass at St. Francis with Father Anthony. Went to Ella Mae's in the Luminary Hotel for hearty breakfast and then walked around the Yacht Basin Marina - although there are several boats in the water, they are not livable and no one allowed on board. What a mess. This big tree downtown was uprooted (like we see in the Midwest after a tornado).
Then to North Fort Myers and got the car washed and a few other errands. The bridge going across the Caloosahatchee had lots of trash along the sides of road.....boats were toppled over, more trees uprooted and plenty of other damage. Had not been in this area since the hurricane hit.
Congratulations to our nephew Justin and Jessa on the birth of their daughter, Maren Genevieve born in Charlotte, NC yesterday afternoon weighing 6 lbs., 6 oz. and 20" long.
Blair called this morning her usual chatty self - proud of her and her competition for poetry reading. She won in her 4th grade class, then overall at her school and now going to the county-wide contest! Way to go, Blair!
Liam and Connor's hockey season is underway winning their past 2 games and each scoring 3 goals.
Ryan sent this pic from Memphis where they are having a severe drought - these boats are all sitting in the mud!
Dreary, cloudy but very humid this Saturday morning. We walked in the park and stopped at Jim and Lydia's to borrow their power washer. Today's plan was to clean the outside of the she shed and laundry.
After breakfast, Mark set to work with the power washer and I tackled the laundry.
So many different trucks/vans in the park for restoration, plumbing, clean-up, etc. Yesterday and today, a new one "The Master of Disaster"! Philip said he heard there were 16,000 stop lights/stop signs out of commission from the hurricane. That # is not confirmed but there are several here in our park (stop signs knocked over) and several lights not working or missing all around FM.
We went for a walk this afternoon and visited with Jim and Lydia who were installing new blinds in their shed as shades had gotten shattered when doors came apart and unhinged from the hurricane.
We had some errands to run later in the afternoon and ended up at The Lodge (BBQ) downtown. Lots of people out and about despite so few restaurants open. Several were dressed in costume. Our waitress, Emily said the water came up to the hostess stand.....so thankful as she used to work at Cabos Cantina, one block away and everything is wiped out in there. So strange to see a favorite nice ladies shop open tonight, but next door, they've taken out at least 4' of drywall.
Stopped at Publix and spent another $100 with not that much to show for it and on home.
It was a good day - laundry is done and she shed is nice 'n clean!!!
AND...so excited to see a few little leaves sprouting from the stump that was once my bougainvillea! Kevin said it would come back as a bush in its 2nd life!!!
ONE MONTH ago today, Ian struck our area with such a vengeance and the disbelief continues. After all this time, there are still so many hurting and each and every day we see the dreadful damage left behind everywhere.
We walked this morning and later were off to Punta Gorda to see friends from the 90's. Kevin and Dawn from Chicago had a sailboat (PDQ) like Sail Catrina which we had from 1995-2008. We were on their boat (Phenix) several times out of DuSable Marina. Last time we were together was July 10, 2016 at the Gary, IN air show when Ryan was flying with the Blues.
In 2019, they moved from Chicago to Punta Gorda, have a lovely home and a pontoon behind their house on a canal. They had vegetation damage and also lost a lot of the screens on their cage. But over all, fared well. Lots of roof damage in Punta Gorda. Their friend Michelle (she and Brendan have a PDQ in PG and one in Chicago.) came cruising with us. We had a delightful ride thru the canals and out on the Peace River passing several familiar landmarks. Docked the boat at Laishley's Crab House and walked a short distance to TT's Tiki Bar. Brendan had been out of town but joined us for lunch.
I got a manicure this morning (should've taken my "Patience Pill" for the traffic - ha)! Ran a few other errands and came home to make some appts. and other computer stuff. It is another pretty day in SWFL.
Left at 1:15 for Mark's colonoscopy appt. at the Barkley Medical Center. All is good! He was starving when he came out at 3:10, so off to the Farmer's Market for some good comfort food (meatloaf, mashed potatoes, etc.) I enjoyed pineapple upside down cake which I haven't had in a very long time (my Mom made a really good one)! Their desserts are wonderful! Mark got a piece of chocolate cake to go - yummy.
Hard to believe it's late October as traffic is more like February when all the Snowbirds are here in full force. Coming home today along with tons of cars/trucks on the road, there was construction, lanes closed, an accident, etc., etc. Patience patience!
The damage to Lee County schools now stands at $150 million!
We had a nice quiet evening reading and playing games (me), watching a movie (Mark).
FOUR weeks since the monster Ian hit our area and changed countless lives forever....plus the loss of belongings and thousands of cars and boats.
Off early again this morning for Mark's eye check-up. Stopped at "Forever Grounded" (another cute coffee shop name) for a latte which was in a mobile coffee van parked near Lee Hospital and close to Collins Vision,
All is good with Mark's eyes but going to do an adjustment (10 second procedure) from his earlier cataract surgery - back to see Dr. on November 9th.
On home. Mark is on an all-liquid diet today in preparation for his colonoscopy tomorrow.
We went downtown around noon with some errands along the way and then Mark got hair cut. His barber, Jose was supposed to cut it last week, but canceled cause he was with his wife awaiting the arrival of their baby girl (very good excuse)! They also have a 12-year old son, so....nice little pink surprise.
While Mark was getting his hair cut, I meandered around downtown and so depressing seeing some favorite restaurants, shops, etc. totally gutted and in shambles. One of the upscale places has a nice courtyard for dining, but now a HUGE pile of kitchen equipment + all their pots, pans, big cookie sheets, etc., etc. A very sad scene. I stopped at the post office - opened the door and walked into a HUGE pile of plastic garbage bags. Oh my.....the post office took a big hit, too and not going to be open any time soon.
I picked up some lobster rolls from Mason's - another amazing fact with no rhyme nor reason ......they had some water damage but opened shortly after Ian hit; next door is Starbucks and it's a disaster. Mark can't eat these yummy sandwiches today (next time) but got some for Jim and Lydia. All 3 marinas (Legacy, Yacht Basin and Edison Ford) have large cranes and starting to move boats - now that's something to watch. Wonder where they are taking them? On home and delivered goodies to Jim and Lydia....Jim was busy power washing his pavers - they are getting settled in!
Many heartwarming stories in today's paper about folks finding someone's treasure, keepsake, special memento in the hurricane and now thru facebook and other social media, these items have been returned to their owners. There are unbelievable stories of how far and wide, thru canals, between houses, etc. these treasures traveled.
Our neighbor Dick is an avid softball player with a bunch of guys around town - several teams. He loves this wintertime sport but unfortunately, recently found out there will be no season as too much damage to the fields.
Another sunny "summer" day in October....after breakfast (egg/sausage/cheese omelets and bagels), we set to work with more cleaning of the she shed and will wait and borrow Jim's power washer to get all the nasty stuff off. They are laying new fiber optic cable in our back yard for higher speed internet and TV.
Shortly after lunch, Jim called telling us they had arrived so we walked over to see them. Mark and Jim were both needed to steady the doors from their shed which had come off the hinges - it is temporarily fixed but will work for now. I guess more screws need to go into hinges. Lydia and I had a great visit inside the AC to catch up. She sent some goodies home with us - zucchini muffins, turtles (from her son, Paul) and blueberry cookies! What a dear!
Today's news said over 1,000,000 cubic yards of debris have been picked up in Fort Myers. And so much more left...😒 So in awe of the many many crews and volunteers doing such a phenomenal job with such a mammoth task
Our neighbor, Dick estimates our park is 40% full but there's also the workers - we would like to talk to our neighbors from TX - 3 guys who are working some long hours and gone before I get up and come home after dark.
There's not a lot of blooming flowers, bushes, etc. in the park right now but Dick (next door) get the prize for this beautiful hibiscus
Mark grilled marinated chicken and we shared a sweet potato - yummy supper.
Went for a walk and had a nice visit with Jamie and Dennis from IL (Mark worked with them at SF). Great to catch up but much too soon, the mosquitoes started attacking, so bye bye...
Mark's sister Marilyn is going to be a great Grandma! First great grandchild for the Chamberlain clan is coming next June and would've been Mark's parents 1st great great grandchild.
Happy HOT Monday - we were off early for dentist appts. with Dr, Baxmann. Depending on where you are traveling around FM, it's hard to predict how long it will take - traffic has been crazy and while the interstate can be faster, not always like today where we saw the back-up so quickly got off and took another route.
Both of us had good check-ups, but Mark has to have a gap filled between 2 teeth. That will be November 1st. We set up our April and October 2023 appts.. Had a good chat with Danielle, hygienist and Dr. regarding Ian and what their situation was throughout the hurricane. 3 dental offices nearby were flooded so they were VERY thankful their office stayed dry. Amazing stories. Danielle wonders what the kiddos will do for Halloween - certainly not safe to be on the streets with so much debris.
The Chocolatte' is just down the road so that was our next stop for delicious breakfast sandwiches and coffees - love this place but whew...$$$. This was another new area to see since Ian and so so sad. The first Publix we stopped at (San Carlos/Summerlin) is closed and parking lot is used as command center for catastrophe/disaster workers. We stopped in to see Connie and Steve for a bit - they were working away in their garage - their neighborhood had so many refrigerators sitting out by the curb.....these had been in garage where they all they had lots of water damage. Connie and Steve were getting their new screens put in their pool cage today. Sometime this week, they will have workers tearing out their drywall (4'). One of their cars was totaled and the other will be going in for inspection this week.
It's so hard to see so much loss for these people - no homes, no jobs, no vehicles, and have lost all their belongings. 😥
We've seen so many temporary buildings, tents, RV's, and massive trailers set up in large parking lots for the insurance companies and other disaster care teams. State Farm is at the Bell Tower Shops but also set up on Sanibel, Fort Myers Beach, Pine Island, Cape Coral, etc. as are so many other teams.
There are several trailers in our park from TX and LA helping with construction/clean-up, etc.
In today's paper, they talked to several school children about their experience when Ian was happening and how things are now....one little girl said part of her home was destroyed but she's been trying to scrub the mold off and it just keeps coming back. 😒
Stopped at another Publix for a few groceries (hard to get by with spending less than $100 these days) and on home.
So excited that Jim and Lydia will be arriving at Cypress Trail tomorrow!
We went for a short walk tonight - so pleasant in the early evening before dark.
Sunny Sunday with temps in the mid 80's and a balmy warm breeze. We were off to St. Francis Xavier and what a nice surprise to drive into parking lot and see the brand new "red" roof and dark tan painted church. When we left FM last April, the roof was a big, very $$$ project that was partially done. No damage from Ian - looks wonderful!
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Good to see Father Anthony again and other familiar parishioners at the 9:30 Mass.
Stopped at ATM and 7-Eleven for gas and on home. Went for a walk and then voted and ready to mail our ballots and filled out several online forms to volunteer for the Red Cross. We should hear something within a week.
Did some laundry and Mark plotted out some reservations for traveling over Thanksgiving.
Since we've been back to FM, almost daily, I'm getting text messages about selling my FM property. No thanks....but certainly a HUGE need for renting and/or buying.
This is my sad bougainvillea that did not survive Ian....
Happiness is a clean Flo (+ windows and screens), car and truck! So many RV owners have a detailing company come and clean their rigs here in the park.....maybe next time! We were tired when we were finished! But glad that task is done for awhile!
The stories just keep rolling in regarding Ian's tragic destruction. 80 some rental lots here in our park were used by workers and crew in the aftermath of Ian - our activities director invited them to a pool party a few weeks ago.
Every day the news is full of sad reports and now hearing about all the large number of layoffs coming for some of the luxury hotels/resorts (South Seas on Captiva, Ritz Carlton in Naples and The Pink Shell on Fort Myers Beach.) And that's only the beginning...
Also today, a report on some of those who died during the storm and what the circumstances were.....heartbreaking!
Our friends Vinnie and Laurie in Cape Coral (they have a PDQ catamaran just like Catrina - bought it from John and Beth) had 2' of water in their home so dealing with that messy clean-up + tearing out drywall, getting contractors in to do the work, and inspectors, picking out new flooring and on and on.....
Tonight we met Glen and Paula at University Grill - love this place and very popular and packed as always! We had so much to talk about - of course, the hurricane, damage to their property, selling their home, buying another in Columbia, MO, vacation this summer in Ireland and Scotland and on and on......they'll be leaving in less than a month!
Nice day and the massive clean up continues seeing more huge trucks (tandem) out collecting the trash. We left at 8 for Sweet Bean Cafe and met Connie and Steve for breakfast - love this place especially their grilled cinnamon bread. It was so good to see them and hear their stories - their house came thru Ian ok, but water damage in garage (with 2 cars sitting in water for a week) + lots of trees and other vegetation lost. We sat and listened to what they've been dealing with for 2 hours....caught up on other stuff, too. Just really good to be with them, hug them and thankful it wasn't worse for them.
Saw several tandem truck/trailers with grapples to grab the debris.
On home....Mark had an appt. in the afternoon (consultation for colonoscopy) Dr. Koka (gastroenterologist). He will have that procedure next week. Mark and the nurse were discussing the hurricane, where each of them were from.....she's from Bloomington, IL....and the PA is from Normal, IL. Whoaaa..............
Mark got a call from the marine store in Port Clinton....tah dah, his new dinghy which was ordered 14 months ago is in! Making arrangements to get it to Superior Marina and store next to Catrina.
Enjoy your weekend!
Cool and cloudy most of the day. We were off at 9 for appt. with my primary, Dr. Freeman.. I dropped Mark off at the European American Bakery for a nice hot breakfast of delicious waffle and sausage. All good with me and then we decided to drive downtown to Peter's German Ice Cream & Coffee Shop (a favorite for their coffees/pastries/desserts). It was so good to see Marika, Stefan and Coral. They were so blessed to not have any damage from Ian as they were watching from their home in Cape Coral all the coverage of downtown and so much under water. They reopened 3 days after the hurricane. As always, my vanilla latte and strawberry/rhubarb muffin were excellent!
We drove down First Street - so sad with lots of drywall, etc. outside restaurant doors and working away inside with plenty of mess from what we could see.😥
Closer to Cypress Trail, there are several 50+ communities with park model and mobile homes. There's lots of debris on the roadside and a bunch is big thick white pieces of Styrofoam which Mark said is used for insulation in these homes. Someone drove over a big piece - what a mess of tiny pieces everywhere! Officials are concerned that residents who are piling up their lost belongings are covering up fire hydrants, utility boxes and water meters.
With so much vegetation gone, you can really see clear thru areas that used to be so dense - neighborhoods and other areas we had no idea what was behind all those trees?
In the afternoon, I sorted thru clothes and organized the closet. Mark worked in the shed and Big Red organizing his tools, etc.
We had early morning appointments (8:40 and 9) with our dermatologist, Dr. Kagen. It was dark still at 7 AM....we left at 7:20 and good thing as traffic was heavy (and we're not in-season yet)!
Full body scan check-ups for both of us and all good. Mark had 1 spot on his forehead that Dr. zapped, made appts. for next April and we were walking out the door at 9 AM. Starting tomorrow, Mark is to put polysporin and band aid on 2x a day till healed. Definitely do not go swimming, hot tub or to the beach (she said - not that you'll find a beach open") cause of all the bacteria. Next stop was for coffee and everywhere we drove, the devastation became worse. While downtown is not pretty now, the areas we saw today were just unrecognizable with neighborhoods, strip shopping centers, businesses, etc. just annihilated. PILES and PILES of people's belongings along the roadside for as far as you could see and every side street, more of the same. It was just incredible. The Sanibel Outlet Mall - such a pretty place is a shambles and they still have no power and even though there were steps up to the stores, everything is pretty much empty. Salon by Design where I go to Jewel for my hair has part of the roof caved in, lots of roof damage, etc. It's like a ghost town.
Lo and behold as we were driving around, I got a text from Salon by Design to their beloved and loyal customers that effective November 1, they will have temporary quarters open at a unit in the Health Park facility. Will be so good to see Jewel (hopefully,,, as we don't know her story).
And another sad story of a man who came from Michigan to help a friend in Naples with clean-up. The guy fell into the water and cut his leg....infection set in and he died. So much bad bad stuff in the waters.
We stopped at Norman Love's for light breakfast/coffee and then on home.
Signs are blown away everywhere - those people are going to have a booming business once things settle down, but no signs for a long time I'm sure. Minor detail.... Many overhangs at gas stations are damaged or gone.
The Sanibel Causeway which had heavy damage is open today to residents 2 days earlier than planned. I can only imagine the long lines as traffic going to Fort Myers Beach was very heavy today - people are reporting they waited in line 4 hours to get to the beach. Fortunately, the south end bridge has been inspected and now also open which will help immensely.
Liam had told us about the shattered screens at Top Golf (they played there last December a few weeks after it opened). We saw the pics on the news yesterday and it looked like tattered long strips of ribbons hanging....however, it is all fixed and looks like nothing ever happened. This place is back in business!
All 80 Lee County schools will be open by Friday.
We had lunch at Buckingham Farms with John and Beth - sooo good to see them and hear their stories and catch up with everything. We were together for over 2 hours enjoying this favorite restaurant and sharing sad stories from the hurricane + family and health updates, travels, etc.
In today's News Press, here are some interesting and mind boggling facts from Cape Coral...
Nearly 20% or 350,000 cubic yards of the estimated 1.8 million cubic yards of storm debris have been collected as of Tuesday. Officials are aiming to pass through every street in the next 60 days and will continue to collect debris throughout December. Debris must be placed at the curb in 3 separate piles - vegetative, construction and appliances. 160 trucks a day are rolling throughout the city picking up 100 yards of debris from dawn to dusk. They have picked up more than 7,100 loads and it's 3 weeks today!
So many prayers needed for SWFL and her people/
Steamy Tuesday with occasional drizzle. We had eggs/sausage/toast and then set to work. Another big day cleaning inside of Flo and Mark had several outside jobs. I made a batch of BBQ. defrosted the freezer, got the laundry caught up and started organizing the she shed.
Read in the News Press this morning that over 1100 golf courses (FL, NC, SC) are damaged from Ian - water damage and lots of debris. Mark noticed over 20 car haulers on the road Saturday each carrying 4 vehicles and heading north. Then we saw more last night on our way to the Boathouse - cars that were submerged in water and taken where???? Hopefully not try to sell again?? 😠😟 Also hearing that electric cars and golf carts are catching fire - lithium batteries and salt water do not mix! Just one more issue all these dedicated workers have to face and definitely something new to conquer with electrical vehicles.
After I scrubbed Flo's floors and while they were drying, we went for a little ride and had lunch at McAlister's (love their Harvest Chicken Salad, but today, they were out of chicken salad and roast beef)? Great ice tea, here, too. It really rained while we were eating. Drove around to check that the Hyatt was up and running. Mark's sister Janet and Mike are coming in February for a few days and just wondering. All looks good.
On home and back to work finishing up a few more things before calling it a day! Happy with all we've accomplished past 2 days.
The rain started up again around 5!
Mark checked online with the Libby library system and lo and behold, he had 3 books waiting and I had one. We were never notified but that could be due to a glitch with their computers as library is closed. We are happy to have some good books to read!
Hot 'n sunny but we nomads had a very productive day. Mark needed a biscuits and gravy fix from Hardees, so he was off to enjoy that treat and ran a few other errands. I called Kevin (landscaper for the park) and told him about my sad bougainvillea on the ground. He had me on the list (apparently the staff went around and noted plants that needed attention). Well, within 10 minutes he and his workers came and after assessing the poor plant, he thought it was a goner, so cut off to a little stump BUT feels it will come back as a bush? Kevin is an expert on his plants, so we shall see! His crew also cut down some hanging fronds on our Foxtail palm, cleaned up some debris on driveway and blew it all off!
Flo needed a good cleaning inside and out.....started with our bedroom and bath/shower today (will clean more tomorrow - this is when I'm happy we have a "tiny" home). Then time to get the patio table, chairs and umbrella set up. Also the bike rack, grill, etc. And proudly hung ole glory. My she shed is my happy place and so nice to be back with my washer/dryer!!!
I washed the car, did 3 loads of laundry and we emptied out a bunch of stuff in the truck. Also washed off the icky mildew on the shed doors.
Over 70 schools will start back to class this week on various days; the kiddos on the beach and Sanibel will be at a new school to them for the remainder of the school year cause of all the damage.
One thing we noticed a lot of was stop lights hanging at an angle - as long as they keep working, but another sign of how strong those winds were.
We went to the Boathouse for dinner - smallest crowd we've ever seen. They were closed for 2 weeks and reopened last Monday - weekend was crazy, but nice to get a table right away. We were amazed at the HUGE yachts docked out front. We talked to a couple who lost their home on FMB and took their yacht up the river, but still had very strong winds. They hoped to get into downtown Fort Myers Yacht Basin and after a while were told they must leave. Even though there are boats there, it is not safe, no power, and the sheriff comes around regularly making sure there are no liveaboards. These folks are staying on the Caloosahatchee docked in front of the Boathouse.
We had a little more leisurely morning....breakfast and then Mass with Father Jonathan in Port Clinton. And another inspiring homily.
We left around 10 and enjoyed a much shorter day to travel. Around Wauchula, we saw the first signs of downed trees and kept getting worse the further south we went - Arcadia was hit really hard. We stopped at Publix to get a few groceries and arrived at CT around 1.
Overall, our park looks really good - the royal palms took a hit but as our neighbor said, they are looking much better already. The tiki huts took a real beating so lots of repair work coming. And several sections of fence are gone. Our neighbors, Liz, Dave and Dick welcomed us back and I sprayed down the driveway pavers before Mark backed Flo in to avoid all the tire marks.
Late afternoon we drove downtown and oh my....so heartbreaking with just mind-boggling devastation. The debris (from all the vegetation) is EVERYWHRE and piled high along with furniture, appliances and one of the small hotels had all their mattresses stacked up by the curb. Many many signs are down, blown away or partially missing. One of the hotels had a bunch of pick-up trucks with building supplies in the back (hope they are safe). That hotel roof was covered in blue tarp as were many other homes and businesses. Several of our favorite restaurants are closed....a few are open including Publix. The former Sunoco canopy over the gas pumps is now a big heap of metal on the ground.
We've seen so many pictures on TV and the internet of this damage (and of course, this is very mild compared to FMB, Sanibel, Cape Coral, etc.) but so many boats piled on top of one another on the ground was just crazy.....beautiful big yachts now in a pile of rubble, turned on their side, pushed against buildings, trees, etc.
The beautiful pale yellow Heitman House (wedding venue) on Palm Beach Blvd. which backs up to the Caloosahatchee River looks like a war zone with huge piles out front. Bennett's Donuts had windows blown out - looks in bad shape. Love those donuts...
Mark and I wondered why we were not getting our books thru the library (on-line Libby system) and now we know the library is closed indefinitely
And on and on it goes - I feel so for the folks cleaning up where they have no power and working in this heat. As our friend Beth said, it's been over 2 weeks so imagine how it looked right after Ian hit? And it's going to take a long time to make our beautiful downtown beautiful again......but again, NO comparison to Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, etc.
We start in tomorrow - she shed is really filthy outside. My bougainvillea is broke off at the base and sprawled on the ground. I'll call Kevin (landscaper) and see if he can save it? That plant has been thru so much - this is 3rd time we thought we lost it, but always comes back. Liz said the royal palms already look much better than at first. Apparently somewhere in the park, 2 of these beauties were lost.
We are very thankful and grateful to the staff and camp workers here at Cypress Trail - before Ian even hit, they were on top of this and have done a great job of keeping us informed thru it all and with the cleanup.
We have several doctor appts. coming up this week.
Ten on sibling zoom tonight - lots to discuss with the hurricane, today is Theresa's birthday, Jim and Lydia are leaving for FL tomorrow with some stops along the way, Tom and Beth are in Italy (they were not on zoom), Darrell and Sharon celebrated their anniversary in Destin last week, etc., etc.
Enjoy your week!
Hello from the the Sanlan RV and Golf Resort in Lakeland - our home for Flo (and Daisy back in the day) when we're here visiting my brothers and wives and where Ron and Bob sometimes play golf. We left Lamont around 8:25 and enjoyed miles of stress free traffic on19/27with almost no traffic. But all good things come to an end and once again, we were back into civilization and traffic.
We took some alternate routes so only did I-75 for about 25 miles. I-75 going north was a parking lot for miles....not sure what was going on.
One consistent thing about our 4th straight day of travel.....Mark and my song "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers was played every day along with "Sweet Caroline" by Neal Diamond (Patrick's song)! Love singing along to these "oldies but goodies!"
Philip said he knows of 12 Spirit pilots who lost their home and all possessions in Fort Myers. Sooo sad and reading daily updates on the News Press (online) keeps reminding us that we'll soon see signs of all this devastation and hear more stories.
Ryan is back in the good ole USA from his long trip to France, Germany, Turkey and Switzerland.
We drove to Ron and Vicki's around 3ish - so good to see them and catch up! Lots of hurricane discussion and they are so thankful they were spared any serious damage. We had delicious dinner at Frescos (a Lakeland favorite) and then back to their place for an after-dinner drink. On home and ready to call it a day.
It's exactly 100 miles from here at Sanlan to Cypress Trail tomorrow.....so ready to be "home".
Hello from Lamont, FL (pop - 170) 23 miles east of Tallahassee. We are right along I-10 and the traffic is flying by just like on I-74 at Kamp Komfort. Home tonight is at "A Stone's Throw RV Park" and the nice lady checking us in gave Mark 2 cold bottles of water! It was 83 when we arrived.
Good day of travel leaving at 8 and arriving just after 3 (we lost an hour) plus stops for fuel, lunch on Flo at a rest stop, etc. Everything was very GREEN today and saw the first palm tree in Cottondale, FL.
Along I-10, we saw several power company trucks heading west. Must've been somewhere in FL fixing the downed lines from Ian and now heading home?
Went for a stroll around the park - not a very big one but busy with lots of folks rolling in this afternoon/evening.
Tomorrow is day 4 of our travels.....heading to Lakeland and visiting my brother Ron and Vicki.
What a BIG difference a day makes...today we woke up to beautiful clear sunny skies and everything so fresh (and nippy at 44) after all the rain. We left at 8:45 and once again, listened to our favorite tunes (I also like Seriously Sinatra), prayed the Rosary and enjoyed the spectacular fall colors thru KY, TN and a little bit of AL. But by far, Tennessee gets the prize for miles and miles and miles of incredible beauty and with the sun shining, oh my!
We stopped for lunch "somewhere" in TN and had deli sandwiches on Flo. Traffic was heavy today (especially around Nashville and Birmingham) and more construction. We arrived at the Birmingham South RV Park in Pelham, AL around 3. Ready to be done for the day and enjoy the 80 degrees!
Our neighbors from Indianapolis pulled in behind us - we had passed them along the way. They are headed to Wesley Chapel, FL (north of Tampa) for the winter. He asked Mark where we were going? "Fort Myers"......"Oh, bless your hearts"!!!
We walked around the park tonight - it's very pretty here with lots of trees and some small log cabins. Tomorrow our destination is Lamont, FL (east of Tallahassee).
We left Kamp Komfort at 7:20 (1 hour earlier than planned). Mark was checking radar and the forecast. We knew lots of rain was coming, so he decided to miss the heavier stuff, we should change course a bit. Lots of construction on I-57 and I-24. The rain was with us most of the day but nothing really heavy till we were 17 miles from Paducah and then the heavens really opened up! Tonight we are in Calvert City, KY at the Cypress Lakes Campground.
We got back into our "caravan" mode of travel with me following Big Red and Flo. I enjoyed my oldies (even heard Peggy March singing "I will follow him" a great oldie from 1963...."Follow him wherever he may go"𝅘𝅥𝅯𝅘𝅥𝅰𝅘𝅥𝅱). Mark enjoys his country songs or just the peace and quiet!
Despite the rain, the fall colors were spectacular and kept getting better the further south we went!
We are only 8 miles from Patti's Settlement, a favorite place (wonderful restaurant, shops, etc.) that started in 1977. Food is wonderful and specialties are their 2" thick pork chop, bread in a flower pot with strawberry butter, mile high meringue pie, etc. Lots of good stuff on the big menu, We arrived at 2:00 and the gal told us it would be a 1 hour, 20 minute wait! WOW.....in the middle of a Wednesday afternoon. Crazy.....
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On February 5, 2018, a horrible fire destroyed the restaurant and main gift shop. They built an ice cream parlor, coffee shop serving sandwiches and pies and bought a food truck. They served their most requested food items under a large tent and on Thanksgiving Day, 2019, celebrated opening their doors with a brand new, beautiful building. The decorations in the many dining rooms are off the charts....they had been lost in the fire, but new decor is lovely. They were putting up lots of outdoor lights.
We did plenty of browsing before lunch and checked out more afterwards. When we went outside, the sun was shining and it got to 70. What a nice ending to this wet day!
Mark thought we should drive the short jaunt to Green Turtle Bay Marina (we were here with Catrina in 2010). Mark met Darin this summer in Port Clinton. Darin and his wife and dog from the state of Washington were at Superior Marine having maintenance on their boat and stayed at the Best Western for at least 3 weeks. Mark follows boaters on NEBO and saw they are now here. We found their boat "Sea Gem" but no one was around. Then we walked the docks and here comes Darin. Had a nice visit and of course, he was quite surprised to see us! Green Turtle Bay is huge and lots of big yachts from all over the country. It was so pretty on the water - very calm with some color. here and there in the trees.
Fall is all around Green Turtle - bales of straw, pumpkins, mums, etc.
2 years ago today, Mark's sister Sue passed away in her sleep - such a shock. She is so missed and loved.
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Rainy day here and more coming thru tomorrow! I'm sure the farmers are enjoying a little break as they've been going, going, going with the harvest and the very nice weather!
I was off to town at 8:30 getting a manicure from Lisa, then to Connie's for coffee/tea/blueberry muffins. Nadine joined us and we had a great visit as the rain came down. We've been long-time friends for years....thru our kids, neighbors (Nadine), church and Monday Night Friends.
Next stop in the rain was HyVee to stock up Flo's cupboards and fridge for our journey to FL. Good to be home at 1:00, unload the car and Mark helping with storing our stuff.
Tomorrow we head out - always enjoy staying here and the weather has been spectacular (until today)!!!
This morning, the secretary at St. Francis Xavier called on behalf of Father Anthony checking on all his parishioners to see how they fared from Ian. How nice was that? We told her we were fine here in IL, but coming soon and hoping to help with whatever.
The boil order for Cypress Trail has been lifted! So, sounds like all utilities are up and running, the sheds and tiki's are being repaired and the cleanup is going well.
We went into town late afternoon and got carry out at Annie's Eats and then took to the Campbell's. We had this BBQ - delicious and a favorite of Anne, Liam and Connor. Good visit and good bye hugs till we see them at Thanksgiving in NC.
Spectacular day in central IL and our 2nd to last day at KK. We had breakfast with our former neighbors and had a short visit with Father Stirniman from Holy Trinity who was meeting friends.
Went to storage to get some things out that we want to take to FL and then to Braker's in Eureka and stocked up on goodies. On home and got to work inside Flo preparing her for the long trip south while Mark did outside jobs on Big Red and Flo.
It's been such an awesome fall weatherwise and all the good visits with family and friends. But the temps are dropping especially late this week so time to move on and looking forward to being back at Cypress Trail. It will certainly be a different fall/winter after all the horrific damage......we are hoping to do some volunteer work and help out however, wherever. It will be good to be back with my she shed/washer/dryer and friends in the park. But so much will have changed in the Fort Myers area.😢
At breakfast, Ken and Sigrun were telling us that their grandson, Jake (23) ran the Chicago Marathon yesterday.....out of 40,000 runners, he came in 104. Jake is truly amazing and FAST!!!
I went into town around 4 and stopped to see Marsha who is recovering from hip replacement. Our Monday Night Friends are taking turns bringing dinner and tonight it was Ruth's and my turn. She is doing well and into the therapy.
A very pretty, breezy Sunday....off to church at 10 at Holy Trinity (sat with Anne and boys). Mark and I got the laundry done and then breakfast/lunch at the Fort Jesse Cafe - excellent place and had not been there in a long time. Mark had breakfast (country fried steak) and I had lunch (General Tso's chicken sandwich with special sauce and Asian slaw on a Brioche bun) - very yummeee.
Last stop before we got back to KK was Binny's stocking up on wine and scotch for Florida.
Unloaded our stuff and settled in Flo. We each took a nap!
Ryan is now in Switzerland and today took a little hike in France and Germany!!!
Zoom tonight with 7 siblings...
Liam and Connor lost their 1st hockey game of the season at Kankakee today 7-5 😟
Have a great week!
We were off to town before 8. It was 32 when we woke up!!! But today was much more pleasant with lots of sunshine and not the crazy wind. We stopped at McDonalds for a quick breakfast and then met Anne and away we went watching Liam tee off at 9:30. We watched Liam for a few rounds and then found Connor. And then back to Liam.
Mark and I left at noon for Rob Dob's and lunch with our friends Paul and Marlys - we last saw them in March on Sanibel. Sooo much to catch up on (health, the FL devastation, families, travels, etc.) It was a great lunch and 3-hour visit. Probably won't see them again till next May as no Florida for them this winter.....Arizona instead.
So proud of the boys and their great golf season. The final tally is that out of 112 golfers in the class 1A state tournament, Liam finished 38 and Connor, 41. During this tournament, the boys have gotten some great coverage and support from their school (CCHS) and the Pantagraph. And how fortunate that this has taken place here in Bloomington both years the boys have played and Mark and I were here to cheer them on!
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Congratulations to Anne celebrating her 25th anniversary with State Farm (October 5th)!
