The Thanksgiving Florida Friends Tour

Ah, it's good to have friends.

We left the Cradle of Forestry on November 18th and headed south. We'd already had some freezing temperatures, and even snow!, in October and more was threatening to arrive the next day. Check had been wanting to revisit a friend who had built a paramotor simulator and now had a newer version. Rob is on the faculty at Full Sail University, a computer degree-oriented school in Winter Park, FL. They specialize in computer gaming degrees, web design, virtual reality; or as their web site says, "Entertainment Media + Emerging Technologies." So, we headed straight for Florida.
Rob and his family live in nearby Geneva, and own a property with RV hookups, pictured above. Pretty convenient for us! We were able to visit the campus, see the new and improved simulator, and even had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner with him and his family.



Rob's property is next to a marsh, and home to hundreds of egrets



What we thought was a wild boar embarrasingly enough turned out to be Oreo, the neighbor's pet pot belly


We hadn't really visited Florida for a few years, so I insisted if we were this far into the state, that we should see our other southern friends. And, since I always get my way 🤨, so it happened.

On Friday we left the trailer in Geneva and drove south down the east coast. Bjarne and Annette live in an airport community near Vero Beach. Check and I each had a flight with Bjarne in his 1946 Piper Cub.



Bjarne's 1946 Piper Cub


Cooking and developing recipes is Annette's hobby, so we were treated to a fantastic dinner and breakfast before driving across the state. By Saturday afternoon we were in Cape Coral, the winter home of Colleen and Cal. Check and I met Colleen almost four years ago at our favorite winter campground, Open Pond, when she was traveling solo in her truck camper. We we instant friends, and ended up staying in touch. She and hubby Cal, now newly semi-retired, were spending their first full winter in Cape Coral where they have a home on a canal. On Sunday, we drove an hour south to visit one of our oldest and dearest friends, Jeanette, in Naples, but since we couldn't park the RV overnight in her neighborhood, we simply spent the day and drove back to Cape Coral.



Colleen taught me that the most important part in getting a picture with your catch is to hold it in front at arm's length so it looks gigantic



If you live on a canal, of course you take your boat to dinner


We left Cape Coral on Tuesday morning, drove back to Geneva where we spent one night and retrieved the trailer. By Wednesday evening we were at Open Pond Campground in southern Alabama.
What a great trip! Without the trailer in tow, it was easy to maneuver around in Weepy, and we were so happy to be able to visit folks we hadn't seen in years. And of course to be able to get a flight in the Piper Cub and a boat ride around Port Charlotte was extra special. Maybe we should make this a yearly tour!


Dawn