Winter Camping

Baby, it was cold outside.  Of course that's a relative term isn't it? Whereas Northerners endure temperatures in the 30's and 40's, Floridians begin shivering when the temperature drops below 60, and on this trip, we did our fair share of that. Still, it was loads of fun in spite of the overnight cold. Think 43 degrees!

The other day Nancy asked, "so just what do you do while you are camping?" The answer is, pretty much what we do at home, just at a campsite. Meal times take up a fair amount of time between the prepping, cooking, and clean up. We sleep, sit by the fire, walk, ride a bicycle, and on this trip I did some swinging as the playground was our next door neighbor. Mostly all Bruce wanted to do was read and I can't say as I blame him for that because he's reading The Hearts of Men which is entirely engrossing. His kayak made the trip, however, he was none too keen to step into the cold water, so it merely sat on top of the car, adding a huge pop of orange to our "home away from home."

Our destination was Anastasia State Park, just outside St. Augustine, about 115 miles away. The drive, taking the scenic route, was lovely.

The road less traveled is our preferred route, as you well know. Eventually though, around Crescent Beach we crossed over to A1A and made our way North, finding the park easily as it is right off A1A. Driving in, we got our first taste of what we would be seeing for the next three days.

Blue skies, lots of water, and more sand than you can imagine. Yes, those dunes are for real!

Finding our campsite, #33 in the mostly tent area, the first thing we did was make a quick lunch, using our new Falconware that Matt and Tom gave us for Christmas.

This site could not be anymore different than our last adventure to Ocean Pond Campground where our tent was set up on grass. This time the site was both smaller, and set on sand, however, although that sand wanted to enter the tent, we mostly kept it at bay.

On that trip there was a lot of dew that made our picnic table wet in the morning, so this time Bruce set up a shelter in hopes of keeping things dry. Actually, I once thought all of this sort of thing was too much trouble, however, I've learned to really enjoy the set up part. Recently I read that if older folks want to keep their mind intact, doing new things is just the ticket. Learning about camping is my new thing. Seriously, I'm obsessed!

Once the site was to our liking, we walked to the beach and holy cow, was it not only beautiful, but HUGE!

Just before arriving, Bruce pointed out a large bird, and on closer inspection, it was a very large Osprey having a meal.

Well friends, that was not the only bird we saw because as we made our way across the huge sandy expanse, woo hoo, look what we found!

Sitting on a rise those fellows are only a few of the group. Royal Terns and a few seagulls in the above photograph. Every now and again I'll hand my camera to Bruce because, who doesn't want their photo made with a big flock of sea birds?

This moment in time was the warmest we would be, having to take off jackets rather than put more on! For four miles, it is but sea and sand, a rarity along our Florida coastline.

Every day there we met some interesting and friendly folks like this couple that live in North Carolina who bring their RV to Florida at this time of year, traveling from park to park. Turns out they like birds too!

Super fun seeing the vintage airplanes fly by!

So here's the thing about winter camping....it gets dark very early so mealtimes are adjusted accordingly. We headed back to our site, about a mile walk, to begin dinner preparations. Several folks have applauded us for sleeping in a tent which is seriously not hard at all. What is hard for me is thinking of meals for four days ahead of time, packing what I need, that sort of thing. Generally, I just wing it most days, checking my freezer in the morning, or using what is in the pantry. This planning business puts me way out of my comfort zone. I forced myself to write down some meals, gather the ingredients, packing the cooler and a large bag for drygoods. I sort of stuck with my plan.

Sort of.


On this night, following our walk to the beach, I had decided to make a pork stew because it was going to be so cold. Simmering meat in the pan, I cut up the veggies next. And that reminds me of another thing about winter camping, our usual plethora of bugs is almost nonexistent. My Florida readers can surely appreciate that.

Yes, I did use the Revereware.

Back in September I always had to have Bruce light the stove, but I've got that down now. Well, I did. Before leaving we bought this Coleman stove because it is slightly larger and the oven fits on it better. The thing is though, the controls seem sort of backwards;  for two days I kept asking Bruce which way do I turn the knob? Sounds kind of silly doesn't it? Finally the stew was ready, the clean up done, a roaring fire going in the fire pit and that was day one. Night one was so cold we kept waking up trying to warm up. What we should have done is taken a space heater with us because we had both water and electrical hook up, but we didn't think of that ahead of time. Now we know!

Waking up early, I rode my bicycle to the beach for the sunrise, arriving just as it sat below the horizon.

The campground has about 130 sites, yet only a handful of folks decided getting out in the cold was worth it! It must be noted that this was the only day I braved the dawn cold. :)

Upon my return I found Mr. Peck cooking the cinnamon buns, watching the temperature as we learn this new piece of equipment.

Unreal how well it worked!!

It's the little victories while camping that make it so much fun!!

Day two coming soon.

your friend,

Gail

Birthday, Birds, and Butterflies!

For one of my Christmas gifts, Alissa and Jonathan gave a set of three pocket sized notebooks in some of my favorite colors: gold, orange and red. A band held them together and along with liking the name of the books, "Field Notes," I was particularly struck by the notation which reads, "I'm not writing it down to remember it later, I'm writing it down to remember it now." Absolutely the purpose of this blog.

Have you noticed how much folks celebrate birthdays these days, some going so far as to proclaim a birthday month? As someone who has generally thought of my birthday as just another day, it is hard for me to relate. That said, who am I to talk now that I had a beautiful day on December 31, and only yesterday afternoon returned from a camping trip for said birthday?

My birthday began with a visitor out back!

As if that were not enough to get me all jazzed up, we drove over on a picture-perfect day to Blackpoint Wildlife Drive in Merritt Island, about an hour away. Driving right past the entrance, which in our opinion is not well marked, we came across this:

Yikes! Neither of us was quite sure what it was, but Bruce was bound and determined to find out. Backtracking a mile or so, I knew it was going to be a nice drive because, well, right off we saw a pond with a few Spoonbills.

Perhaps you can see them better from this angle? Originally I thought it was just one, but on closer inspection, by golly there are two, plus another bird I am not quite sure about. No surprise there as my bird id skills are minimal.

Generally we just do the drive, however, with such lovely weather we took a little walk, discovering a beautifully built bird blind.

While I am getting all excited about the birds, Bruce is inspecting the craftsmanship, something he does regularly. He can't help himself having spent so many years getting paid for that skill! One thing we noticed right off is the water level which was higher than we've seen it before due to all of the December rain. Not that we've been here that many times, unlike other "birders" who visit several times a week during the migration season. One such friend is Candy who has a wealth of bird knowledge as well as amazing photographic skills. Coming around a curve, we spotted a small crowd of birders watching a large crowd of birds. And then along came Candy, who although she was delighted to see them, had no interest in photographing them as they were resting. I had no such qualms! After a very kind woman let me use her scope to view them, I took a not very good photo of a flock of Avocets, a bird I've never seen before. If memory serves me, (which is always suspect) the book I read, How to be a Bad Birdwatcher , this bird played a big part.

As to the birds in front, well I've forgotten the name of those but the whole people group seemed to be delighted to see them as well. Plus there were even more!

It was so great having a beautiful blue sky after nearly a month of gloom and heat.

Before leaving the area another kind person pointed out an Eagle.

Continuing our drive to Canaveral National Seashore, where we used our handy dandy National Park's pass, well what can you say? It is a beautiful beach with a few hardy souls having fun.

Matt sent me a new shawl for my birthday that I wanted to show off! I know almost nothing about knitting except that it takes a long time and a great deal of patience. Isn't it wonderful? 

Still obsessed with identifying the fallen animal we stopped at the visitors center on our way out where the folks told Bruce it was a coyote. Walking along the small boardwalk we saw some turtles, one of which was huge. Bruce told me they were fake, however, a man with binoculars confirmed that they were moving, albeit very slowly. Seriously, have you seen this kind of turtle so huge before?

Just before the causeway there is a park that Candy said we should stop to see what we could see. Good call Candy!

Once these fellows came back to the shore, they claimed there were hundreds earlier.

While that may or may not be true, there were still plenty for me. I think these darling little guys are Sanderlings.

Then again, it is highly probable that I am wrong! Who really cares? Just watching them scoot along the shoreline was enough for me!

They seemed to love the crashing waves somewhat like a blogger you know!

Meanwhile Dave and Michelle were texting Bruce, wondering when we were getting home because they had a surprise for me. Boy howdy, they sure did. Very difficult to photograph because of the plastic, but have you ever seen anything like this before?

Your eyes are not playing tricks on you.....there are three Painted Lady butterflies in there that we were to release within six hours. By now though, it was going to be dark in six hours. Do butterflies go out at night? Don't think so. Nevertheless, we took the cover off and put it on the front porch adjacent to the lamp. Faux sunshine, if you will. Woke up the next morning and they were still quite cozy. How do you remove the plastic, you wonder? So did we! Eventually Bruce took a straight razor to just above the "vase" and we hoped that would do it. Nope, they were still cozy. Eventually he used a straw to move them over to our Pentas, so they could have some food. In a day's time they were gone. Amazingly, after the tulips declined, I removed them and darn if those roses don't still look good ten days later. A gift that keeps on giving!

Finally a lovely sunset happened. Few and far between for a while now.

Seeing that Christmas tree in the photo, while Bruce and Bill attended the Citrus Bowl I took our tree down without incident. As in, not a huge needle loss which is always a plus.

Another day as we were about to come in the front gate I asked Bruce to let me out QUICK! Why so? The Hooded Mergansers were in the front pond swimming along fairly close in decent light. Now you know.

Aren't they a handsome couple? I was shocked to see SEVEN out back earlier today. Amazing.

Something more amazing happened on December 30th in the form of a crazy generous gift arriving from Canada. That Giovanni and Pina are too much. It was in a huge crate kind of thing that had been opened at the border, holding up the delivery. Seriously, there were so many things inside it covered the kitchen table.

All kinds of Italian goodies, but the best part are the mugs they made with our photo on them. Unreal!!

Bruce brought the camping box from storage....

Here's something....one of our wedding gifts was a set of Reverware, a standard in those days. Bruce picked these two up recently at an estate sale. Oh baby, how I love good old stuff! Wonder if these two are 46 years old?

And what a fantastic 46 years it has been with Bruce by my side every step of the way. Plus, he took me camping for my birthday which you will be reading about in my next post.

For now, I will leave you with Grace Kelly's adorable little face. Plus, she is as good as she looks thanks to the training Dave and Michelle arranged.

I was practicing and she makes a perfect subject, don't you think?

your friend,

Gail

p.s. Should you be the praying kind, our friend Jeff is doing very poorly and could use your prayers. Mostly for pain relief. For now, that's enough.

A New Decade!

The robins are back although they have been very reluctant to sit for a portrait. I heard them before I saw them; large numbers can be somewhat noisy.

As too are the Cormorants, at least for one afternoon. Jonathan and Alissa were mildly impressed. Naturally, I got excited which is what you've come to expect, isn't it?

My 66th birthday came and went. Quietly, I might add. Because so many action-packed days have passed since last I wrote, birthday images will come later.

When last we met, Jonathan and Alissa were due to arrive from Austin. That went well although it was raining to no ones' surprise because rain has been ever-present, or at least it was for nearly two- thirds of December. They had tickets to visit Hollywood Studios on Christmas Eve, arising at the crack of dawn to be one of the first in line to visit the new Star Wars stuff. There was a steady, chilly drizzle all the livelong day. Plus, the humidity was off the charts. Still, they had fun.

While they were gone, we popped over to Dave and Michelle's place while her Mom, sister, and niece were visiting. Michelle's decorations are out of this world.

There were sparkly things everywhere, a delight for the eyes.

Michelle's family loves everything about Christmas, including dressing the part.

Now I know where she gets it from! Thinking back, there are no memories of my Mother ever wearing Christmas garb, and from the joy these ladies exude, I think she missed out. Thankfully Michelle is rubbing off on me! Except for our tastes in home decor. She is all glitz and glamour whereas I am....well, I don't know what to call it, but it ain't that.

They, along with Bill, came over Christmas morning for brunch and presents. Earlier Matt and Tom did a Facetime chat with us from Japan where they were vacationing. We opened our gifts and were delighted to have been given some very British Falcon enamelware for camping!! I quickly put them to use on the table for all manner of goodies.

That would be Bill on the left, and David on the right wearing the latest trend, buffalo check pajamas, not that he kept them on for long. If you've seen any social media posts you've already assumed that Michelle was wearing the same, and if so, your assumption is correct. Finally, the sun was shining with a beautiful breeze coming off of the lake, so much so it was blowing the curtains. Not that we minded after the weeks of high humidity and gloom! Out back to take their photo before David changed into shorts, what to our wondering eyes should appear, but the otters playing in the lake!!! This time our Austin family was noticeably impressed. :)

Scissors were placed on the coffee table for their inevitable need for help getting into the packages wrapped by my darling husband. Our custom, or perhaps I should channel Hallmark and say tradition instead, is to watch each gift opened, in this case starting with the youngest member of the Peck family, Jonathan.

That is to say, he was the youngest Peck in the house as Fallon had to work! We were super sad she wasn't there, but boy did she find a fantastic gift for the two of us....yes, it is a camping oven!!

 We were so astonished that they even make such a thing. Should you be curious, it folds up small enough to fit in that box, and the way you use it is to put it over one of your burners. Dying to try it out, my birthday gift is a camping trip next Monday to Anastasia State Park near St. Augustine. Can't wait to tell you how great it works.

The kids showered us with wonderful and generous gifts, one of which David purchased for me. That doesn't sound like such a big deal, right? Except it is because, just as in this household, Michelle generally buys the gifts.

Let's see, can you guess who bought what? If you guessed that Michelle bought the Baccarat Crystal owl you would be correct. Dave, on the other hand, went shopping, saw the stuffed owl and said I've got to get it for my Mom! I love them both!!!

A good problem to have is that we have been so blessed that our children have all done well since leaving the nest. Buying gifts is not the easiest, so seeing Michelle this happy upon opening hers was a joy. (pardon the quality, shooting into the light will do that every time!)

Bruce was both shocked and pleased that Matt remembered a hat that he admired while they were shopping together in Norway. Meanwhile, Alissa is begging me not to take any photos!

The middle of the afternoon, they all went home and the rest of the day was very low key. Actually because I got nothing down in this blog, it's already becoming a blur!

The following day I visited Maureen who, instead of being in the big room on the third floor, was in Occupational Therapy on the fourth. An interesting woman, whose name slips my mind, gave Maureen several tasks to complete, one of which was this card matching game.

I am delighted to report that the hardest part for her was reaching the furthest spots. Little velcro dots are on both the board and the back of the cards. She also put up a net for her to throw bean bags into which she did with mixed results. Not for a lack of trying though!

Michelle also purchased a jigsaw puzzle for me that took all four of us working on to complete.

Yeah, it's not easy doing a round puzzle! The goodies
in the center are from Jon and Alissa, always good for some listening and watching gifts. Another super special gift came from Matt and Tom in the form of a membership in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. From two bird lovers to another.

To tell you the truth, we did not do a whole lot between the weather and our company wanting a relaxing time, but one day we ventured out to our local Target where we found this new mural across the street. SODO means South of Downtown, an attempt by the city to make something of our area.

Generally we get together with our family at Lisa and Danny's house in Longwood on Christmas afternoon, however, this year we did things differently, heading out there on Friday instead. Bruce is talking with Danny, a man with nine lives, in the kitchen. For quite some time he's had some very challenging health issues but somehow keeps on ticking!

He managed some lovely outdoor lighting....

Perhaps you remember when Matt and Amanda brought Eliza out to Vancouver for a conference and visit with their Aunt and Uncle. If so, you will recall she was a wee one then who is now an adorable toddler giving her Dad some loving.

Rich picked his Momma up from Westminster Towers and brought her out for the gathering! Eliza was showing her Great Aunt some love too.

Had Matthew been here he would have completed the cousins photo, all born within a few years of one another.

That pajama thing, we were having none of out and skipped church on Sunday! Imagine wearing pjs to church to sing carols at 10 in the morning.

Jonathan is a soccer fanatic rooting for Man City in the Premier League. In Austin he meets up with like minded folks to watch the games at a bar so he went in search of the same here. Bruce drove us to The Pub on International Drive where the servers wear kilts.

For the record, there were also signs pointing to the "loo" as well.

Apparently we brought good luck with Man City winning handily. On the way to the car, in search of a restroom, we popped into a place called Main Event, where the neon is bright. I have lived a sheltered life it seems as I was blown away by the noise and lights.

Next stop was Bill and Fallon's home for a visit. Well, Winnie lives there too now and boy did she give Jonathan a greeting, licking his face and ear so much he could not quit laughing!

Look who else likes glitz and glamour!

Honestly, every time I visit I cannot help but marvel at what they have done to the house, remembering what it looked like when Bill purchased it six years ago. A lot of blood, sweat and tears have gone into the renovation. Do you recall the green water in the pool that I kept trying to change?
Beautiful now with the new LED lighting.

We ended our visit with a walk to show Jon and Alissa the fantastical light display a few blocks away. Walking under the lights was magical. My heart soared as I watched Bill and Fallon, along with their puppy, thinking how happy I am that they are making a beautiful life together.

That is what every parent hopes for...somehow we were blessed beyond measure with all of our sons in loving relationships.

Now that is a Christmas gift that cannot be found online or at any store!

Happy New Decade my dear readers.

your friend,

Gail