TELL ME IT'S NOT SO...ONLY 11 DAYS TO GO!

I cannot believe that our time here in Key Largo is almost over! We arrived here on November 1 and leave on January 2.  The time has just flown by and we have not done all of the things on our list of great things to do here in the Keys.  We have made new, wonderful friends and have fallen in love with the area (who wouldn't?...it is in the low 80s and sunny even now!).  The weather has been incredible and there is so much to do.  And Barklee has met SO many doggies here, but he is still the cutest of them all, of course.  John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is one of the most visited parks in the country, and no wonder why.  It offers beaches, snorkeling, scuba diving, kayaking and so much more.  And right down the road we find Islamorada and a bit further down, Key West.  Last weekend Tom and I took Barklee down for an overnight trip to Key West for our Christmas gift to each other. We are at Mile Marker 102 and Key West is at 0, so it is a leisurely two hour trip at 45mph to the Southernmost tip of the country. It was a great trip, even though it only lasted about 25 hours in Key West.  Of course the drive down there and back is as good as the destination.  Key after key, bridge after bridge, including the famous 7-mile bridge, which in so beautiful.  The weather cooperated and we were able to take some pics...here are a few:

 Coconut Pirates

 This dog is ready for Christmas!

 Marina at Key West

 Tom, Jackie and Ernest Hemingway

Tom just loves the ladies!

I am determined to try snorkeling before we leave, so it has to be next weekend since it is our last weekend here.  If I survive I will post some pics.  I think I can, I think I can....there is a snorkeling boat that they take out from the park and as a volunteer I can go free of charge.  It is something I would really like to do so....stay tuned.

From here we take a short drive up to Jonathan Dickenson State Park just north of Jupiter, Florida, for three months and then we return home to wonderful South Carolina.  This has been such an adventure and we have made the most of every minute.

We wish you all the most blessed Christmas ever and a prosperous 2014.  And always remember the Reason for the Season.  

EARLY MORNING WALK

Glass Bottom Boat

Kayaks Ready for Use

Kayakers

Beach 

 

 

Ibis

This is what I get to see on my early morning walk...right in my backyard!  Sometimes I can't believe I get to stay in such a beautiful place for two whole months!  And we have already been here two weeks..one quarter of our time here, hard to believe.
Tom and I work 20 hours a week each, three days a week.  The days are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, how lucky are we?  We have a four day weekend every weekend!  And we make the most of it, believe me.
Tom works maintenance and helps the rangers.  He does a variety of jobs, such as helping to repair and maintain racoon-proof garbage cans, clean up seaweed from the beach, clear out vegetation to make room to park cars, etc.  I think he is having a good time and meeting lots of nice folks.
I am working for the Park Specialist in the office and doing odd jobs as well.  I maintain spreadsheets recording volunteer work hours, I am working on a project to convert old VCR tapes containing ranger lectures over to DVDs and I am working on a big project scanning a huge library of slides and scanning them so that they can all be found online.  I really am learning a lot of new things and enjoy what I am doing although some days I would rather be outside!
We have met another wonderful group of workampers.  In the State Parks they are called Volunteers rather than workampers. We volunteer our time for the park and they provide us with a place to stay.  To get to live in Key Largo for two months isn't anything I would have ever thought I could do.  On our days off we take little trips to enjoy the surroundings and find new places.  We have driven as far south in the Keys as Marathon, just a little more than halfway to Key West.  It is incredibly beautiful and the weather is great.  Still in the low 80s.  Last week we got to visit with Todd and Hailey and next week Lisa and Gary will be down for some R&R in the keys and we will get to spend time with them then.  Looking forward to that and to having Todd and Hailey spend the night with us the day after Thanksgiving.
Hope all is well with you and yours and we will keep you posted.  Stay tuned!

PINCH ME......WE ARE IN KEY LARGO! AND ANOTHER MIRACLE!

On the road again, I just can't wait to get on the road again....Willie Nelson
Last Sunday we packed up our camper, our car and our dog, and left lovely Edisto Island, South Carolina and took off for sunny Florida. It was getting just a little too chilly in South Carolina!  We arrived on night # 1 in St. Augustine and spent the night luxuriously in a LaQuinta Inn.  The next two nights we spent in Ft. Pierce, Florida visiting two friends that we met while we were in Texas. They are workamping at Ft. Pierce at one of the nicest RV parks I have ever seen.  It was so good to see Jim and Monica and hope to see them again while we are in Florida.
We spent night #4 in Stuart, Florida with Tom's sister and her husband.  We love seeing Margaret and June.  They are the youngest 88 and 90 years olds that we know.  Margaret (88) takes no medications for anything.  She is amazing.  We also got to see Tom's niece, Jeannie and her husband Greg. We had a nice but short visit.
Last night we arrived in Key Largo.  It was a short three hour drive from Stuart and an easy one on the Florida Turnpike.  The weather was great and so was the drive. Coming over the bridge into the Keys is such a wonderful experience as the colors change into vivid blues and greens and the water begins to look like the Carribean. We pulled into John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park with our car, truck and 37 foot camper.As soon as Tom backed into the camper space, the serpentine belt in the engine of his truck broke.  This could have been a disaster if it had happened on the road.  This belt charges the battery, enables power steering, cools the engine with the water pump and supplies electricity to the truck through the alternator. The truck basically can do nothing without the belt.  It could have happened on the turnpike, a bridge or any number of places.  Again, God was in charge of the trip and kept us safe.  We can have the truck fixed here.  I am ever so grateful that He watches over us, always....
We have a few days to settle in and we start work on Tuesday.  Our workdays are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Every weekend is a four day weekend.  How lucky are we?  The other workampers here are really nice and I think we are going to have a really nice two months.
I am including some of our first pictures  Hope you like them.

 Ibises

 Glass bottomed boat

Sunbathers

FRIENDS

Usually my blog is a little bit of a travelogue.  In this post, I digress.

Having just turned 68, yes, I found myself a little melancholy, thinking about my life before and my life after my birthday.  One does that when they get to be my age.

Having recently spent a weekend with two best friends, who came to Edisto Beach State Park to celebrate my birthday with me, I thought a lot about friendship and how especially important and meaningful it is.  

"Friends are hard to find.  In a lifetime you only find a few.  And when you find them, you always know them by sight and heart alone, you always grow a little taller in your soul, and you know you have been blessed just to know them"........Ashley Rice

"A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same".......Elbert Hubbard

A local pastor, Shawn Wood, in a recent message, said that in our lifetimes, most of us find it hard to name five CLOSE friends.  Sad to say, most 40 year old men cannot name one REAL friend.  Are we too busy?  Are we too removed?  Has Facebook and texting taken the real meaning of true friendship out of our lives and made most of our friends relationships that we only talk to electronically?

"I value the friend who for me, finds time on his/her calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his/her calendar".........Robert Brault

Pastor Wood went on to say that if we get our friends right, our lives will be richer.  Show me your friends and I will show you your future.  You are the average of your five friends, should you be lucky to have them.  

"A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same".....Elbert Hubbard

I would like to introduce you to six of my dear friends, the real kind.

Here in South Carolina, I met Vicki and Patricia through Seacoast Church.  We have become the closest and best of friends in the last ten years.  We have been through good times and bad, sickness and health, the death of close relatives, family sicknesses and all of those times that you truly need friends.  And we have had many, many, many good times and have shared lot of laughter. No matter what we do, we have fun, and laughter is great medicine.  Each of us is only a phone call away.  We would do just about anything for one another.  These are the gals who came here to celebrate my birthday with me.

 Making a birthday dinner!

Bible Study on the back porch

We rented a cabin here at the state park and had a really nice time that included an educational boat ride with the Department of Natural Resources, taking in a Shrimp Festival, sitting on the beach, enjoying good food and just enjoying each other's company.  I truly love these gals.  

Friends # 3 and 4 live in Pennsylvania, where I moved from 10 years ago.  But our friendship did not end there.  We met as coworkers at County National Bank in Clearfield, PA.  In fact, Lois was my boss! We had a really close friendship for about 15 years, and still do.  I was blessed to be able to meet up with them this past August following Tom's family reunion.  We had not actually seen each other in years, but felt like we could pick up right where we left off.  That is true friendship, you can feel so comfortable with them even if you can't be together as often as you would like.

Linda, Lois and myself along with another great friend, Dan.

I cherish these gals and have so many joyful memories of times we have had together.  We visited Dan on several occasions when he lived in Palm Springs, CA.  He was also a County National Bank employee. I love these friends despite the distance...distance does not diminish real friendship.

And finally, I cherish Ann and Anita.  Ann and I met when we were both 12.  Do the math.  OK...it't really big numbers, I will do it for you.  It is 56 years since we met.  Could that be?  We were neighbors and schoolmates in Pennsylvania.  Closer than peas in a pod until we graduated high school and went our separate ways.  After 20 years we rekindled the friendship at a class reunion and have become close again, doing a lot of traveling together both with and without our husbands.  The unique thing about our friendship is that we are total opposites, in so many ways.  But we put friendship beyond personal differences and I would do anything for her and I believe she would do the same for me. Not to mention the fact that she lives in Arizona and I live in South Carolina. She is a special woman and I have treasured her friendship over all the years.

Anita is my newest dear friend.  I met Anita when I moved to Del Webb Charleston and we became immediate friends.  Our common love of books and God immediately sparked a close friendship. Anita is a tiny little ball of endless energy and she has been blessed with a tremendous gift of encouragement.  We love to get together and talk about books and our families.

Well, I have rambled on enough.  I could go on and on about all the wonderful people that God has brought into my life, but this post would go on forever.  You know who you are and I am so grateful for your friendship.  With friends like you to grow old with, I have no fear.  God is so good and I thank Him for you.  If I am an average of all of these friends, I am truly blessed.

"A friend loves at all times".....Proverbs 17:17

"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down".........Oprah Winfrey

PS.....Although I have highlighted the women in my life, I would certainly not want to neglect to mention my five best male friends .....my sons Terry, Jeff, Todd and Jason...and hubby Tom

DEAD SNAKE-AT LEAST WE THOUGHT SO

There are so many wonderful things about camping.....getting close to nature, getting to see the country, meeting so many wonderful people, having new experiences, the list goes on and on.  However, there are just a few drawbacks.  Like not having a bathtub, or a good oven.  The one big drawback that we have found is .....snakes.  We have been on the road for a year and have, up to this point, not encountered any snakes.  We don't dislike all snakes, just the bad ones.  Well, I did have one encounter.  One night, while riding my bike at the Naval Weapons Station in Charleston, I saw something ahead in the road that looked like a piece of tire on the edge of the road.  It was quite large.  So I just steered around it with my bike, passing about a foot from it.  Since it was under a street light, I glanced over at it and got quite a shock.  It was a VERY large water moccasin....coiled up on the street.  I put pedal to the metal and headed home at record speed and told Tom that I had seen a VERY bad snake.  When we went back in the car to see it..it was gone.  Not good news, that meant it was alive.  Sighting #1.
Earlier this week Tom was walking Barklee late at night here at Edisto State Park.  We have been told that snakes are very rare here since they like fresh water, not salt.  He came home to tell me that he had seen a copperhead cross the road here in the campground.  Sighting #2.
Last night, Tom took Barklee for a walk around eleven.  He came back to the camper to tell me to get dressed and to come out, he had killed a copperhead.  Well, I was less than enthusiastic to go look at a dead copperhead and possibly run into one of his friends or family.  When he saw the snake, he immediatley put Barklee into the truck, then kicked sand into the snake's face to confuse it and then kicked it in the head and then stomped on it to kill it.  Dead snake.  When he got there for the photo shoot, the snake was gone.  Tom saw it slithering, confused and dazed, toward a tree.  He went back to the truck, got a piece of pipe and proceeded to beat it to death.  Mr. Snake definitely looked like he had a broken jaw as well as other mortal damage.  So Tom picked it up with a pole and brought it to the camper and hung it on our flagpole as proof of his amazing feat.  When he told me what he had done, I replied that no snake will be hanging from the camper in which I was sleeping and asked him to bag it in a kitchen garbage bag and TIE THE BAG.....you never know.  Deed done.  We went to sleep.  Tom will confer with the ranger on duty in the morning to see how to dispose of the remains.
So the snake is now "hanging around" in the bag over our picnic table. R.I.P.  Come early morning Tom goes outside to get his shoes on to walk Barklee.  He glanced over at the bag, and there, sticking his head out of a hole in the bag was the deceased...alive and well, doing his best to leave.  Needless to say, Tom was a little surprised.  He had killed it twice.
Well, the snake was then double bagged and given to the ranger, who was going to "relocate" the varmit.  It seems that they do not like to kill snakes in State Parks...that is probably why the snake was living here, he thought he was off limits.
From now on, no more walking the dog in the dark late at night.  And no victory dances after murdering a snake with multiple lives.
Below is the picture of the snake hanging on our camper....it was actually still alive when Tom hung it here.....not a good idea...

AN ISLAND BY THE SEA

Edisto Island, where we are situated now, is an island bordered on the East by the Atlantic Ocean.  One of the most visited places on the Island is Botany Bay.  The Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve and Wildlife Management Area is 4,687 acres and consists of two large plantations.  It grew Sea Island Cotton, the most valuable cotton available and made the owners of these plantations very wealthy.  The property was left to the State of South Carolina and is now managed by the Department of Natural Resources.  It has one of the most interesting beaches I have seen anywhere and we love to go there.  It is a photographer's Paradise, and I am going to share some pics from there. The beaches are totally natural and amazing.  There are more shells there than I have seen anywhere else, and they are to be left there.  The DNR volunteers will shake you down as you leave the beach, believe me!

 Pretty Maids all in a row

 Call me a romantic but I think it is shaped like a heart!

 Edisto Island native Grandpa with grandsons

 Tom looking for someone to talk to...

Yours Truly

LIVING ON ISLAND TIME

Greetings from Edisto Island, South Carolina, one of the most beautiful places in the country.  We arrived here on Sunday, September 1st and reported for duty as State Park Volunteers (aka workampers).  We will be here for two months.

Edisto is a barrier island located about 45 miles south of Charleston, so we are only an hour away from home (although it is rented), so we can still visit friends and do things back home when we want to,  However, once you drive over the bridge that takes you onto Edisto Island, the world changes.  You drive into a land of waterways, marshes and Spanish moss-draped oak trees bigger than any you will see elsewhere.  The island is the same as it has been for many, many years...no traffic lights, no hotels or motels, no drug stores, and NO WALMARTS OR STARBUCKS!  Can you imagine such a place?  It is quite and serene, no traffic jams or honking horns.  If you want drinkable water you drive into the fire station and fill up your empty milk jugs.  It really is Paradise.

Tom and I got our work assignments here at Edisto Beach State Park the day after we arrived.  I will be working two five-hour days a week at the beautiful boat landing.  I am the gal in the gatehouse that shakes the boaters down for money before they load their boat into the bay.  I even have air-conditioning, which is great because it has really been hot.  The people that come through are so nice and I love my job.  Tom drives a little golf cart around the campgrounds and rakes up the campsites after people leave, may need to do some trimming of overgrowth and keeps the campsites looking neat.  He works three five hour days a week.  Oh, he also has a chance to talk to everyone he meets..imagine that! We are both off Thursdays and Fridays so we can do fun things in the area. The rangers are really nice and very flexible.  I think this is going to be a fun assignment.  Can't wait to go kayaking.  There are bike paths throughout the island and so much else to do.  Right down the road from us is Beaufort and then Hilton Head and then Savannah.  The South Carolina coast is so scenic.  Lots of picture opportunities.

Speaking of pictures, here are a few.

 Inside of Edisto Presbyterian Church founded in the 1600s

 Prayer Chapel outside of church

 Church cemetery

 Marsh behind campground

 Fishing dock

 Tom ready for a hard day of work...

 Tom and Barklee on the beach

Edisto sunset