January 12 to 26: Tampa and Naples

After leaving Disney World, we spent two nights at the Rally Park at Lazy Days in Tampa. We had dinner each night with a different friend and visited the Camping World and RV dealership there. What a huge operation! Initially we pulled into the wrong spot and instead of being where one checks into the campground, we were where one turns in one's trade-in to get a new RV. A salesman came by, admiring our rig, and wondered what we were trading it for. Joyce, honest but not clever, said we were just in the wrong spot. Shortly thereafter she realized she should have told him we were trading it in on fifty pop-up trailers!

Then we moved down to Lake San Marino RV Resort and settled in for a couple of months. After realigning our expectations with reality, we like it here (we were expecting a cement parking pad rather than grass and to fit between the patio and the hook-ups). There are lots of activities to not go to: So far we have not gone to karaoke, water exercise, or the luau dinner dance. Joyce has watched the fun shuffle and the competition shuffle with another park (shuffle = shuffleboard), helped assemble a jigsaw puzzle, chatted with the wood carvers, and helped set the lights for karaoke night.

We have been visiting many of Ron's friends from when he lived here. Joyce can see why he was eager to return for the winter -- he gets way more hugs per event here! We have been to a number of lunches, two camera club meetings (two different clubs), and visited several people in their homes. We have committed to entering images in both camera club competitions and putting two prints up for sale for charity!

There are two Costco's near here but we have only been to one so far. That's where we encountered the Costco liquor store! A separate entrance, sort of like the tire center. The single malt scotch above is Costco's brand from Macallan distillery, aged 19 years, and priced at $70! For comparison the Glenlivet and Glenfiddich cost about $35 a bottle.

We visited the local (sort of) casino but won't be going back. We don't have high standards but it was too smoky for Joyce and too high-priced for both of us (nickle minimum games which means mostly $1 a go). If it's not a "fun" place, we don't spend our money there.

Ron has been going to doctors for check-ups and is almost through with that cycle. Joyce did her first Volkswalk in a couple years and has the blisters to prove it. She took a little break at a park and saw these bizarre ducks (upon further review, Ron says they are TURKEY VULTURES!) begging for handouts from the picnickers. We went to the RV show on Thursday (free parking and half-price on the first day) to look at vendors and park models. The park models are different here than they are in the northwest, no loft models on display and more trailer-based ones. But, several had little dishwashers! We didn't buy a thing.