I meant to post these pictures the the blog I just posted, so bare with me.  This morning was a gorgeous sunrise and like all great sun rises or sets they continue to change.  So which one do you use?  Well one is the new header and I will have to just put the rest of them up.  Our space was just 100' from water.  This AM was a low tide.

Red Sky in morning, sailor take warning.  True saying for today by 4:00 pm we were in a storm with lots of rain and wind.

Another reason to put all these up is to remember this place a year from now.  As I had mentioned before this is a very small town four miles to the west of the Ho-Hum RV park.  There is one small IGA store in town, two gas stations across the street from each other, they each had a deli in them but didn't check them out.  There is one cafe in town and we had lunch there.  A very good turkey sandwich which was the Blue Plate Special of the day.  A real cute place.

Yes, this still works and was playing tunes from 50's & 60's

I  almost forgot to mention, last night we saw a very large black bear go through our campground, just 10 feet from our trailer.  On the way here we saw several warning sign for bears.  In Florida?  Yes, Joe and I both saw him and there were bear tracks on the beach/

Safe travels to all

Nancy & Joe

Part 2

Next stop was only 125 miles away at the Topsail Hill Preserve State Park for the annual Airstream Canopener.  The fees there were $42.00 per night, yes that's right $42.00.  We have never spent this much for a "Resort" RV park let alone a state park.  Well, this place is like a resort, including a swiming pool, tennis, basketball courts and three small lakes to fish in and they actually catch good size fish. I didn't know what to expect, but was pleasently surprised, the place was fantastic and very clean.  They even use a blower to clean the leaves and pine needles from every spot before the next campers come.  We had a great time,  no planned activities except for a the best dinner and breakfast pot luck I have ever attended.  The rangers also put on a "Breakfast with the Rangers" for us, all cooked by volunteers of the park.  The Rangers gave a very informative talk about prescribed burns in the forest, including a slide show.  Even though I am still recovering from the shock of $42.00 per night, since it was only three nights we will probably attend this event again next year if we are in the area, and I think we will be.

Site # 168 Topsail Hill Preserve State Park

Waiting for the dinner bell to ring

Almost time to start dinner

We didn't get away from the Airstream Canopener until about 11 am Sunday so our next stop in the small town of Carabelle seemed like a long drive even though it was only 130 miles.  But along the way we stopped  in the cute little town of Apalachicola, had a late lunch, walked around town and actually spent money at a cute place called "The Tin Shed".  I usually don't buy souvenirs but they had the cutest pink flamingo I have ever seen.   They had a lot of junk too as Joe calls it... "A lot of leaver-rites" (leaver-rite there)  Apalachicola is the oyster capitol of the world, they have an annual oyster cook-off in one week.  Unfortunately we won't be able to stay for it.  Joe had fried oysters for lunch and they were delicious.  I had grouper, a mild white fish that was just as good.

The flamingos have only one leg and they wobble back and forth in the wind

Basket of sponges, apparently years ago there was a lot of sponges brought in here and they were processed and then sent around the country.

leaving Apalachicola

10 miles later just one mile from our next campsite

We are at a nice quiet RV Park just four miles east of Carabelle, "Ho-Hum RV Park", full hook-ups and only 29.00 per night right on the Gulf.  This place was wiped out during Katrina and has been slowly recovering.  This is a really nice place if you just want to relax.  Also close by is Tates Hell State Forest and Apalachicola National Forest.  There are two state parks that we had to pass up that we will check out next time.  One on St. Joseph Island and the other St. George Island.

Safe Travels to all

Nancy & Joe

New Years Eve at Pensacola

My computer is sometimes very fussy and just turns off after about 15 min and it's been happening more and more.  Every time I think of getting a new computer and actually start looking at them my computer starts behaving again and staying on. Well I have a lot to catch up on.  We had an absolute fabulous time in Gulf Port and Biloxi, MS.  If you like fresh fish and shrimp this is the place to visit.

Our next stop was at Pensacola, FL home of the Blue Angels and a superb Naval Aviation Museum.  If you go be sure to go on the inside and outside tours.  We stayed at the Oak Grove Fam Camp.  We enjoyed a New Year's Eve pot luck and Karaoke.  We met some wonderful people including a young family with two girls age 11 and 13 (I think), they were taking a year off and traveling around the country.  We will probably run into them again as we are going to some of the same places.  The Pensacola Base was a very large gorgeous base, right on the water.  There is a state park just west of Pensacola called Big Lagoon State Park.  It looks like a great place to stay, maybe next year.

Looking out our door the water is only about 200' away

We had some spectacular sunrises

The bay was being dredged 24/7.  When the barge was full of the dredgings they dumped it at this plant on a tiny island.  Not sure what they did with it then.

New Year's Eve Karoke

Eleven year old Mattie became the first brave sole to sing

Yep, that's an owl along trail to lighthouse   The sun was already down so I was lucky to get this shot

Many places on base and around town are these cute dressed up pelican statues

Pensacola Lighthouse

Naval Aviation Museum - Fantastic

Outside waiting to be refurbished by the volunteers

The famous Cubi Bar in the Philippians was completely dismanteled and brought to the museum, all decorations, bar and furniture

Boardwalks and sand fences (like snow fences) are everywhere, they don't want you to walk on the dunes

sunset at west end of base

That's it for now, safe travels to all

Nancy & Joe