TGO Time

Trail near TGO

So where have I been exactly?  And why haven’t I been blogging?  We spent the last three months in our winter home in Titusville.  Life at The Great Outdoors (TGO) carried on like we never left.  We spruced up the lot and put down new stone pavers and did some landscaping.  It looks very spiffy.   We enjoyed getting there later in the season and as the time went on the place became more of a ghost town as the snowbirds went home.  It was a rough long winter this year for most of the country.   We did sympathize and tried not to rub in the warm weather too much.  

We took a side trip down to Naples again this season and hooked up with family.   We lucked out and were able to get into Collier-Seminole State Park.   Very nice and much more reasonable then the private RV parks down that way.   One night we had a campfire and cookout with the family.  It was good to spend time with my sister Carol, her husband Joe, my brother Paul, and his wife Bonnie.  I call Naples little Chicago as most of the folks down there are from that part of the country escaping the frozen Midwest. Other than the palm trees and warm weather you could swear you are in Chicago by the way everyone talks.

Naples at night

I also  took a solo trip to the homestead in New Mexico.  I checked on the house and baby sat kitty Carlito for Jack’s daughter Jennifer.   I spent some quality time with my daughter Emily, meeting friends,  and eating out a lot.  Emily and husband JR took  me for a hike in the Sandia Mountains for an early Mother’s Day.  My favorite thing to do!   I visited with my brother Bob and his wife Pat.  And the latest addition to the family by way of niece Maggie - baby Bob.  He's a cutie! It was good trip home!  Hope I closed up the house and did not forget to turn off the stove!

Mama owl standing guard

TGO had a busy spring with a variety of wildlife to be seen. We had a pair of baby owls that were the talk of the park.  Jack rescued a baby doe that had gotten trapped in some vines. One morning I saw a bobcat, two young armadillos playing, and a gator all before I had my morning coffee!  Plus there are always a variety of birds to be seen including egrets, osprey, cranes, anhinga, blue herons, turkeys, woodpeckers, cardinals, mocking birds and the ever present vultures.   And don’t forget our resident gator and the guest appearance by his bigger brother Mr. Big Stuff.   We stayed long enough in the year to see both the bottlebrush and magnolia trees bloom on our property.  A little sad to leave but it was time to head North but first it was time to head south for a trip down to margaritaville.  

Mr. Big Stuff