New Years Eve......and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Now this is more like it......I walked outside first thing Monday morning and noticed immediately the balmy feel of the sea air.  It was the first morning that did not involve the lavish use of electric heaters and the consumption of 50, or 60 amps of electricity to keep us comfortable.  The sky was mostly clear, and there was very little breeze.  "This is Cedar Key" I thought.

There were plans for us to get together with our Nomadic NuRVer friends that evening and I had the perfect outdoor fireplace for the event.  Chris and Cherie chipped in $5 for a $10 wheel barrow load of firewood, which I wheeled over to site #58, and then, eventually hauled the fireplace over to the site.

TLE was busy doing some wash while this was going on, but around 1 pm we decided to walk into town, do a little exploring, and buy some champagne for our New Year's festivities.  The walk into town is exactly 1.3 miles from Sunset Isle RV Park.  I was outfitted in flip flops, t-shirt and shorts for the walk.  We just ambled along in no particular hurry......I think we are on island time for sure now.  We explored a couple of vintage clothing/antique stores as we strolled through the "old town" area, and then over to the wharf area where most of the restaurants and shops are.  TLE found a new hat to add to her extensive collection, and then suggested we get a couple of scoops of Rum Raisin at the ice cream bar......we had some of their Rum Raisin last March when we were here, and it is still amazing!

We stopped in at "The Market At Cedar Key" for the champagne and a gift for the New Year's party gift exchange......we chose a couple of bottles of hot sauce sold under the market's label.

Somewhere along our path home TLE lost one of her earrings, which was not discovered until we arrived home.  She went back in the car to look along the path where she thought she might have lost it, and then on to the market, but all to no avail.  Now she is on the internet looking for a replacement pair......my wallet is feeling a little lighter already.

The water at the Tiki Bar was glassy smooth and reflected the pink clouds perfectly!

Around 5:40 pm we sauntered over to the Tiki Bar for the nightly ritual of watching the sun set.  Every day I have been here I have thought that day's sunset was the most amazing, and the sunset New Year's Eve set a new standard for amazing sunsets.  The water was glassy smooth and perfectly reflected the blazing sky above.

As I stood on the short dock in back of the Tiki Bar taking pictures a woman who had come from town to the Tiki Bar dock to take pictures turned to me and said "I am so glad there is someone else here who can confirm that I just saw what I saw".  That's how amazing it was.

Meanwhile back in the Tiki Bar various customers had brought in appetizer dishes for us to sample (various dips, and one man brought some home made Ceviche which was amazing), which we did, of course, then around 8 pm headed back to our coach to rest up a little before we headed over to site #58 for the evening's festivities.  This NuRVers group is an eclectic collection of very laid back, young at heart people, and that is what we have in common with them.  They range in age from late 20's up to us, but there is this common bond, a shared enthusiasm for the wonder of life on the road.  The ability to change our view without going through escrow.  We just unplug, and move down the road, or we sit still in one place for a month as we are all doing now.  There is complete acceptance of differing lifestyles....no judgement....just people in love with this lifestyle and with people in general.  You must understand that this group is made up of very successful, smart people....engineers, software developers, server migration experts, heavy aircraft pilots, successful photographers, etc.

We sat there enjoying a bonfire in the washer drum fireplace I had provided, talking about our lives, and lack of plans for the near future.  Around 10:30 Cherie treated us to a fire dance......very cool...I only caught the last 20 seconds of a great performance on video.

The 3 hours leading up to midnight went quickly, and before we  knew it we were toasting in a New Year.....2013.  What adventures await us all......what new friends will we make as we move down the road?  We all began to drift back to our "homes" by 12:30 am wondering about what this new year holds in store for each of us.  It was the coolest, most laid back New Year's party I have ever attended.

I can't believe this sunset will be topped, but I will be here in Cedar Key watching every night  for the next 30 days to see, and I will let you know!

Thanks for stopping by!