A Lot To Catch Up With

We left for the Augusta/Gardiner Maine KOA April 11th.  Just before we left RiverBend we traveled back to the Twin Cities to visit with family.  We got to meet our newest "grandpuppy", Linus.  He's the newest member of Lindsay and Tom's family.

Linus and his best friend, Floppy

We were able to have a late Easter dinner with everyone, spend a night with Denise, Tony and the kids, visit Laura, Kevin & family, spend a night with our friends Terry & Kitty, and then go back to the "Carik Hilton" for a couple of nights with Lindsay & Tom.

After we left the Twin Cities we went back to RiverBend, said our good-byes to all of our good friends and headed for Melbourne, FL where we were able to spend an evening with our friends Jim and Eileen.  We worked for them at the Cantwell Alaska RV Park.  They're getting ready to leave for Alaska this week.  The next morning, we left for Flagler Beach, FL where we spent a couple of days visiting with Roger's brother and sister-in-law; Randy and Mary.

They brought us to Washington Oaks Gardens State Park where we viewed formal gardens, a citrus grove, beautiful trails, trees and the Matanzas River.

Ground flowers

A very big bird

Randy & Mary in the Rose Garden

The pagoda near the goldfish pond

Fountain in another pond

 

 

This is a really big Southern Oak with beautiful Spanish moss

Wow! This is a hanging plant that's bigger than Roger

Randy and Mary also took us to see Princess Place Preserve.  This beautiful Flagler County park is located at the confluence of Pellicer Creek and the Matanzas River.  Within the park stands the oldest structure in Flagler County, a hunting lodge built in 1887.  After the owners death, his wife later married a Prince in the Russian royal family and she became known as the Princess.  The property consists of a preserve, an artisian swimming pool, livery stable and beautiful grounds.

The Livery Stable

The inside of the Livery Stable

The Artesian fed In-Ground Swimming Pool - Roger and Randy going for a dip?

The changing house for the pool

View from the Lodge deck of the Matanzas River

The Lodge - Princess Place

We also were able to just relax for an afternoon walking along the beach, along the Flagler pier, and visiting at Randy and Mary's beautiful condo.

The beach 

My wonderful sister-in-law, Mary at the beach

After we left Randy and Mary, we drove to Sun City Center to visit my Dad in the hospital.  He's been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  Today, we got wonderful news that the doctor was able to remove all of the cancer.  Thank you to everyone who has prayed for him, it is truly a miracle!

My niece Arianna & my Dad

The Holiday Season and Our 5th Anniversary

We have had a lot of action during the Christmas Season and with the New Year.  Riverbend has had quite a few activities during the holidays starting with Golf Cart Caroling,

Golf Cart Caroling

 a Christmas Eve get together where everyone brings their favorite dessert and then we play a version of the "dice game" or what Floridian's call "dirty Santa".

Mrs. Santa on Christmas Eve

Christmas Day dinner buffet

Dinner for 128

Just a few of the wonderful desserts

a fun New Years Eve celebration with light appetizers for 178

The Grand Entrance

Some of the appetizers

Lots of yummy food!

Yes, there's more!

All dressed up

Wow! What a stud!

 Today is our 5th anniversary.  Roger and I celebrated by going to Everglade City and taking in an airboat ride

Black Vultures on top of Walking Mangrove

Walking Mangrove

The channel in Big Cypress National Preserve

More of the back water

Great White Heron

A large alligator

Alligator feeding

Too close for comfort

 We got to hold a small alligator named Snaps

Sue and Snaps

Roger and Snaps

 Fresh water otters

A sleepy otter

A swamp buggy ride

An example of an Indian Village

A Everglades wildflower

An example of an Indian burial ground

A Great Blue Heron

A example of a camp with a still

 A great Stone Crab and Shrimp lunch

Lunch at City Seafood on the water

Lunch waterside

Fisherman's wharf

Everglade City docks

End of the road, Highway 29

We had a wonderful day.  What a wonderful way to spend our anniversary.

We're Back!

I know, I know where have we been.  Well, we've been all over the place since we last posted on our blog.  After we left Hearthside Grove Motor Coach Resort we headed back through the UP of MI and visited family in Grand Rapids, MN; friends in Bemidji, MN; doctors, dentist, and opticians in the Twin Cities; family in the Twin Cities and then on the road again.  After we left the Twin Cities we went south on I-35 toward Liberty, MO where we connected with family; then to KC to visit good friends that we met at Hearthside Grove; Branson, MO to visit good friends that we know from Bemidji KOA and take in a couple of shows; spent a couple of days in the French Quarter of New Orleans; then a day in Destin, FL taking in the beautiful white sand beaches; a day at Keaton Beach where many of the scallops that you and I eat at restaurants come from; a stop to visit my parents at their new place in Sun City Center, FL and then to Riverbend Motorcoach Resort in LaBelle, FL. 

We'll make our home here until early April.  We've already had a Halloween Party, a Veteran's Day parade and meal; cooked turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy for 170; cooked for about 60 on Wednesday night Bar Food Night each Wednesday; decorated the resort for Christmas; and now on Saturday we'll have our annual Christmas parade and meal.  Whew!!

We helped friends from here host a Toys for Kids event at their home on the Caloosahatchee River. 

Pat Harder and Sue at Toys for Kids at the Harder home

The "Toy Train" on the Caloosahatchee

Roger and the Crew helping Mike Harder at the Toys for Kids

The tree and some of the Toys for Kids

  Our lot is different this year than the lot we had last year.  This season we face one of the 3 lakes here on the property.  It's a beautiful site and the owner of the outdoor furniture that we rented last year is letting us rent the furniture again this season.  Today we had a flock of what we will call "dalmatian ducks/geese". 

You've heard of 101 Dalmatian Ducks haven't you?

View of the "lake" and fountain from our wind shield

Until next time, have a wonderful night!