Today started out with a nice sunrise, but that did not stay too long. It soon began to rain, and rain it did. All day. We walked a mall, saw TWO movies in the theatre, walked another mall, then had our pre valentine dinner at The Cheesecake Factory.
I have always enjoyed playing Bingo here at the Miami Everglades RV Resort. It’s only $1 per card. They play 5 games, each with a winning amount of about $25, then the the big coverall game for $120. We have never won, but watching how serious some of these folks get about their Bingo is certainly worth the price of admission. We can’t wait to do it again.
After this picture was taken we had a family from Hollywood, FL join us at the table. Dad showed up first to secure seats for the rest. He purchased the family’s cards and sat down with us. He really did not have a concept about how the game was played and asked Stephanie for help. The daughter, Reena was next. She understood how to play but could not keep up with the caller. I ended up helping her and bring to keep an eye on my cards at the same time. Stephanie was still helping Dad. Mother showed up. She had actually lived in Ottawa for some time before moving to Calgary, then to the United States. She did alright. Finally their son came in. He did amazingly well. He was able to get and dress his popcorn, get a drink, and listen to music while paying attention to the caller and play his card all at the same time. Reena insisted that we share any of the winnings with our whole table. Although a nice thought, the group didn’t win a cent…..
With a good start this morning, we headed south to the Keys. Our intention was to drive down, have lunch, and be back before dark. It did not quite work that way. Things have not changed much along the way until you get south of the seven mile bridge. That is where the eye of Hurricane Irma (2017) made landfall. While new construction was well underway, you can see a lot of empty lots, and even more possibly abandoned buildings. I suspect those who had good insurance have rebuilt quickly while others are still waiting.
We started with a lunch at The Grand restaurant.
Followed by a walk down Duvall Street. We even came across the place we stayed with Elizabeth and Mike Olsen. It is called Olivia by Duvall.
We checked out the rest of the pier before we headed north back to the campsite.
After only 3 dinners, Stephanie wanted an upgrade from the plastic camp dishes! Introducing our new melmac “Rope design” china, cutlery and wine GLASS.
Stephanie’s rebuttal….For the record, John wanted the upgrade…plates, 99 cents each and cutlery also 99 cents each. Wine glass….priceless. Stephanie
It’s day 2 at one of our favourite camping spots. Miami Everglades RV Resort. Sometimes when we talk to the “full timers” or other seasonal residents, it’s hard to believe we have been coming here for a very long time. Last night when Stephanie mentioned to one of them that we have been staying here since the park was a KOA, the snow bird commented that even she didn’t stay here back then. As we recollect, Stephanie and I think we have been coming here since 1999/2000 ish. A lot have things have changed since then. The first time we were here, there was no internet connections or WiFi, you got a newspaper delivered to your cabin every morning, and i don’t remember seeing very many big dogs. Now, there is internet (although you have to pay), no newspaper delivery, but lots of furry friends to say hi too. Even some cats…in strollers??
At US$799.99 it was a little to rich for my blood. But it would have made an awesome project to work on while I was on vacation!!
Today we went as close as we ere going to get to Disney this trip. Although its been about 5 years since we last went tot he park, we figured that going to the park for just 1 day was going to be too expensive. A day ticket is worth US$113 – CA$146. You obviously get a much better deal if you go for 4-5 days. Reading some Disney blogs also led me to believe there might be a lot of renovations going on in preparation for the 50th anniversary celebration in 2021. That and Star Wars world only opens in October….We spent a good part of the day here. Lots to see and of course lots to buy. We enjoyed fish tacos for the first time at Paradiso 37. In the evening we ventured out to Old Town.
We thought we would take advantage and do a little shopping today. We assumed that the shops might not be as busy because of the big game…we were wrong! The Outlet malls were bustling with people. Columbia, Nike, and of course Camping World were the destinations. We arrived back at the hotel with enough time to read and relax before turning on the Superbowl. I have not watched it in years, and I don’t remember it being so…how to say this….boring. It was easy to make the decision, watching the halftime show or the Disney fireworks from our balcony.
Stephanie and I decided to stop this restaurant on highway 1A1. As we were being seated, a very nice lady , along with her entourage, invited us to sit closer to their table. She insisted that we checked in to their hotel just before them. They were from Wisconsin, and were staying in Florida for a month. All the way during the meal she discussed their experiences in the area. We had no clue who these people were, but figured that she would recognized her mistake after she didn’t see us at all after tonight! We wish them the best and hope they have fun during their stay!
We spent our our second night in St. Augustine, Fl. Today we travel to Orlando. Instead of following the highway, we decided to follow the coastline. It was a much nicer drive. We stopped at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on the way through.
