Winter Hibernation

View out back.

Our gator.

Our final destination for the year was the sunshine state Florida.  We decided to try out one of the snowbird parks and ended purchasing our own little piece of paradise.  Yes, we are living the cliché! We are now official snowbirds! We purchased a lot at a RV resort near Titusville called The Great Outdoors (TGO).  It is geared toward the golfing crowd with its very own golf course plus all the expected amenities including our own little gator in the pond behind us.  We were a little leery at first of all the gators around but they seem to leave everyone alone, still I would not leave a dog unattended.

Canaveral Seashore 

TGO is bordered by the St. Johns Nature Preserve and near the  Canaveral National Seashore and Kennedy Space Center.  I had great time all winter walking and bike riding the trails, using the pools and many fitness classes.  I even caught a glimpse of a bobcat and river otter right on the grounds.   The surrounding area is slightly depressed due to some of the NASA layoffs but it just makes for the area being less crowded than the typical crazy touristy Florida.   We had a great time exploring the area and saw some really beautiful places.  We also get to see rocket launches from the nearby Kennedy Space Center – very cool.  Plus the touristy places are nearby if you are so inclined.  We kept talking about going to Disney World or one of the other parks but never made it to one.

Wetlands nearby TGO

We did take a trip up to South Carolina in the BiFF for the holidays and also a flight home. It is always good to be with family around the holidays even if not exactly on the right calendar day.  Sweet Jean Louise and hubby Matt were gracious dog sitters and even gave Wodi a bath while we were in New Mexico!  Glad we did get to check in on the New Mexico homestead.  We walked into a very very cold house.  Turns out the boiler was having “ issues”.   Jack and our neighbor Dave spent that first cold night jerry rigging the boiler until heater repair man could get there in the morning.  BRRRR!    We were lucky no pipes broke.   A big thank-you to our great neighbors!  It made the return to TGO all the more appreciated after the snowy and cold weather!

It;s Flipper off the side of boat!

Soon after returning to TGO we took another trip down to Naples to visit my brother Paul and wife Bonnie.  It was a mini family reunion with my sister Carol and hubby Joe also coming down from Chicago.  We had a great time taking a boat tour of the Everglades and visiting all the local happy hours.  Fun time but the RV parks down there were so expensive and it was high season and crowded everywhere.  Glad to get back to own spot in TGO. We hunkered down for the next month or so getting to know the Titusville area and meeting some of neighbors and making new friends.

That's Jack!

The family with me in the middle.