The Second Week in Florida, Beaches Family, and Friends

Almost every day a flock of Nanday Parakeets fly by our condo. They are a gregarious bird and the flock contains about seventy-five birds. You don’t have to be watching for them as their raucous calls are easily heard from inside.  I have tried to take pictures with our best camera but as soon as they hear the door open the whole flock flies away.

We have continued our daily walks on the beach, and we have walked more steps and miles than in the last two months combined. There are a lot of sponges that wash up on the beach and a lot of shells, but there are also many early bird shell collectors who beat me to the beach, at least so far….

Last weekend we drove to Stuart, Florida where we stayed at Nancy and Jim’s new condo,(not one of those pictured). They are full time rvers like us and finally decided to buy a place to spend the winter. Like us their rig, after twelve years is aging and they both want some quiet time to rest before the summer travels, (if you look at our blog list you will see their blog, Running Down our Dream).

One of the most wonderful things of traveling by rv, is meeting so many nice people Jim was a junior high teacher and a basketball coach in Washington, Pennsylvania, while Nancy worked in an office. We have crossed paths on the road and whenever we get together, it’s always a special time.

They invited us to stay with them and so we made the drive to Stuart, about two hundred miles. They have a beautiful place and they have done a wonderful job, (Nancy especially although Jim also takes part), in imparting their lives in their new home. While there we took a walk on Ross Witham beach and besides shelling, we got to dip our toes in the Atlantic Ocean!

At dinner we were joined by another couple George and Nan. Nan was a former art teacher who also makes jewelry and has sold some on Etsy.

We also walked around their complex and it’s the first time we have had an iguana encounter. Besides the iguanas there are also quite a few different lizards of which most are alien invaders.

The second day they took us to downtown Stuart. Vender booths were set up one of which was a silversmith who did beautiful work setting stones she bought in sterling silver. It’s rare to find someone who saws, grinds, and polish their own stones and that gives us an advantage.

Stuart has a long boardwalk and we strolled along identifying birds and watching brown pelicans diving into the water after the schools of mullet. We also saw American white ibis that have picked up an unhealthy habit and swoop down on tables eating leftover people food.

We ate dinner at a sports bar that had more TVs than any place we have ever been in, too many in fact, and I had to take out my hearing aids as the different voices were deafening. I made it a late night, ten pm, as we stayed up sharing stories of our times on the road. Its always a pleasure to meet fellow bloggers, and when you follow a blog its like you have talked to them every week.

The next day, they fed us great omelets before we packed and headed back to Treasure Island. On the way we passed a landfill and here, because of the high-water table the dump becomes a vertical mountain, on the flat Florida landscape. We also passed mile after mile of orange trees and stopping is against the law!

It has been another great week in Florida! Thank you, Jim and Nancy, for letting us stay with you, for your great hospitality, and for showing us around in Stuart, Florida. Clear skies