Villa Vizcaya, craft beer and U of Miami

Originally we had planned to only be in Palmetto Bay overnight, but that was because I lost track of a whole day......I thought Tuesday was the 13th, but it was the 12th......our reservation on Marathon Key doesn't start until the 14th.  As a result we had an extra day to do a little site seeing.  When TLE was in high school (Miami Central) she was a violinist in the school orchestra.  The orchestra was invited to play a concert at Villa Vizcaya, a local historical landmark built by International Harvester Tycoon, James Deering, in 1916 as a winter home.  This mansion is located in Coral Gables, a few blocks from the University of Miami.  TLE wanted to take the museum tour, drive around the U of Miami, where here father, Frances Spencer Houghtaling, was the first enrolled student back in 1926, and check out a local micro brewery called "Titanic Restaurant and Brewery".  Another note of interest is TLE's father also had the idea to start an honor society at the U of Miami called Iron Arrow, and was one of the founding 9 members of Iron Arrow, and it's first president.

TLE's father is the second man, back row, going right to left.

We rolled the car out of the trailer around 10 am, and were on our way slicing through the warm, muggy Miami air by 11 am......did I say it was HUMID?  Traffic on the Dixie Highway (Highway 1) was very bad the first few miles due to construction, and again, it brought back memories of Southern California traffic.  

We arrived at Villa Vizcaya around 11:30, found a parking spot and made our way over to the Villa to tour the inside, as well as the beautiful grounds.

No pictures, or video taking is allowed inside the Vizcaya whatsoever, so the pictures you will see are ones we took outside.  James Deering utilized this home as his winter residence from 1916 to 1925 when he died.  His heirs ultimately sold the estate for a sum less than its worth to Dade County.  The interior opulence is typical of homes built by tycoons in this area.  in 1914, when construction began, there were only 10,000 people living in the area.....the Deerings employed 1,000 of them in the construction of the Villa, which, surprisingly, took only 2 years.

 Indoor, outdoor pool...TLE sneaked this one

An interior stock photo taken from the Vizcaya website

 This is the next view you see from the room in the picture above....you can just see the skyline of Key Biscayne on the horizon...this deck is where TLE's orchestra set up for their concert in the summer 0f 1967.  The concrete structure in the background was built to look like a barge, and serves as a breakwater for the estate.

Formal gardens

We spent over two hours touring the interior and exterior of the Villa.  We initially joined a  walking tour with a tour guide, but our group was close to 40 and it was difficult to hear what she was saying, and for all of us to be in each room at the same time, so eventually we branched off on our own to finish the tour.

Our next stop, was for lunch, and a couple of brews at the aforementioned Titanic....it was only a few miles from the Villa, and it right next door to the U of Miami.  We both chose the Oatmeal Stout, and split an appetizer called S.O.S. Skewers.....shrimp, chicken, and steak.....very yummy with a delicious jalapeno, garlic and peanut salsa....the kind of salsa that makes your sinuses drain......now I would love to have the recipe for that salsa!

After our satisfying snack at Titanic we headed into the U of Miami campus.  TLE had been told that there was some pictorial memorial to her father on campus somewhere, but after spending an hour we were unable to find it.  I even went into the office of the University President asking if they knew, and, of course, this was an event that happened 87 years ago and the staff had no idea of what I was talking about.  We'll be coming back through Miami on our way north along the east coast in 10 days, so we'll do a little more research, and contact a few more relatives to find out where this memorial display is.

We barely had returned to our "home" when Michael Baiamonte (the Heat PA guy) came walking up.....he was on his way over to Phil and Patty's home for cocktails, and to show them his two NBA championship rings (2006 and 2012).  This is as close as I will ever get to any professional sports championship rings, and these were very cool.

The one on the left is the 2012 ring....these are my hands....:D

Phillip, Michael and Patty with the rings

We had dinner around 7 pm (grilled chicken, roasted vegetable, and rosemary garlic potatoes.   Wow.......what an amazing dinner!  Wednesday was also Stephanie's (Phil and Patty's daughter) birthday, so there was carrot cake after dinner.

Stephanie with the carrot cake....HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPHANIE!

We finished up the evening watching the most recent Batman movie...."Rise of the Dark Knight".....another fun movie.

The time has flown by here in Palmetto Bay.....it gets harder and harder to keep saying "until next time", but we'll be doing it again Thursday as we head further south to Key West.  We may have to stop by again on our way north......stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by!

Another Moving Day.........

I know you are wondering....."How did he do the night before moving day this time?"  Simple answer......I slept great!  Didn't wake up thinking about everything I had to do before we could roll.  What I did get up thinking about was HOW HUMID IT WAS!!

Just walking outside yesterday morning in Ft. Myers I started sweating.  There is a front moving in and the side effect of that is a lot of warm moist air is being pushed before it.....it is supposed to get very cold again on Thursday, but between now and then it will be warm and humid.  Of course, this far south, even "cold" is a relative term.....it certainly isn't going to snow here Thursday, but it will get into the 60's......and a little less humid.

We got packed up pretty quickly, but there was a lot of wiping of the sweat off my brow, and out of my eyes.  After we got the car back in the trailer I went inside for a cold shower, then went back out to roll up the electrical cords, and then turned on the generator so I could run the front AC for a while to dry out the air inside.  We've been sleeping with the windows open at Gail and Jimmy's, but the side effect is it gets humid inside.....the AC helps dry out the air.

After exchanging our "until next times" with Gail and Aunt Evelyn (Gail's mom), and shedding a few tears we were off to jump on I-75 and to cross the state over to the east coast.  Once we were on the Interstate and up to speed I shut down the AC and generator and we opened the front windows......as long as we were moving and there was a breeze it was comfortable....after all it was only 77 degrees.....but when we stopped 83 miles later at the first rest stop we had to turn on the generator and the AC again, and we ran the AC for the next hour.  Oh, I forgot mention that the section of I-75 crossing what is known as Alligator Alley is a toll road.....4 axles (that's us) costs $9.00 one way.  That's the first toll we have paid since September in Oklahoma.

Finally, as we neared Miami it seemed that the outside air cooled again, and we reopened the windows....it was still humid, but the cooler air felt good......until we got off the Interstate in Palmetto Bay (out destination)......then I was wishing we had left the AC on. It was only 4 miles to our stopping point so we just soldiered on.

Palmetto Bay is where Patty a friend from my high school days, lives with her husband, Phillip.  They, too, have been married over 40 years.  I reconnected with Patty on Facebook a couple of years ago, and she has been following our journey on our blog.  When I messaged her that we would be in her area this week she and Phillip graciously offered to have us courtesy park on their street.  After checking Google maps to see if we would "fit" it appeared to us that we could park in the cul-de-sac next to their home.  The trick was we would have to back a couple hundred feet into the cul-de-sac.  The process actually went pretty smoothly, and within 15-20 minutes we were parked and looking for an electrical outlet to plug in so we could turn on the AC again and dry out the inside air again.....:D

While we were finishing our parking maneuvers Phillip and Patty's neighbor came up to introduce himself....Michael Baiamonte is the Public Address Announcer for the Miami Heat since 1990.  Michael's home is just behind the picture below.  You just never know when Lady Serendipity will "show a little thigh".  Of course, his team is playing great, and just a few days ago defeated my team, the Lakers.....they're on the down swing, and the Heat is on the upswing.....:(  We joked a little about the fortunes of basketball, and talked about the Heat's up coming game (last night) against Portland (Miami 117, Portland 104).  And for a change my Lakers won over Phoenix.

I haven't seen Patty since she was 18, or 19, but it was as if no time had passed at all.  We also met their youngest daughter, Stephanie, who is quite a young lady, and her fiancee Logan.  Patty had prepared enchilada's, rice and beans and they were marvelous.  TLE brought in some of her amazing salsa and some chips, which we munched on just before dinner.  We sat talking over dinner, and then after we cleared the table sat down to watch a movie I had wanted to see when we were in Campbellsville, but just didn't get around to it....."Trouble with the Curve Ball" starring Clint Eastwood.  We enjoyed the movie, and our time with Phillip and Patty a lot.  We'll be here through Thursday morning when we roll the wheels again on the coach and head down to Marathon Key, and then Key West in the T-Bird.

We are enjoying our current view and hosts a lot, and look forward to what Wednesday has in store for us.

Thanks for stopping by!

Everybody needs a bath sometime.......

Monday dawned partly cloudy with a little breeze.......we have been sleeping with the windows open since we got to Ft. Myers, and I am enjoying the cool air coming in the window during the night as we sleep.  Normally, while in the deep south, we keep the windows shut and the dehumidifier running, but I guess I am getting a little more used to the humidity......NOT!  It's just that it has not been that humid since we have been here.

First thing after coffee and publishing the blog I got busy tuning up Gail and Jimmy's K2 beach cruisers.  They do garage their bikes, and they are in pretty good shape, but every bike needs a tune up from time to time.  I took a wiggle out of Jimmy's rear rim so the brakes worked better, adjusted the shifting just a little, and cleaned and lubed the chain.  Gail's needed a little more work on the rear brake as it was sticking, and there was a little wiggle in her front wheel that I took out so the brake would not rub.  No major surgery, but the bikes do work a little bit better.

I haven't taken the time to wash the trailer, or coach since the first week we were in Campbellsville, KY back in October.  I did start to do a little cleaning of the coach in Cedar Key, but that only consisted of wiping down the lower portion.....washing any vehicle at Sunset Isle RV Park was forbidden.  When we were in Fruitland, and Zephyrhills we were parked on dirt, and then grass so I didn't attempt to wash anything there either.  However, since we have been parked on concrete for 3 days I decided Monday was the day to clean the heavy equipment.....the weather was perfect, our hosts were at work, and TLE wanted to go shopping.

Within a couple of hours the trailer and coach were looking more like themselves again.....I still miss my boys from Integrity Mobile Detail.....that is back breaking work!  

Our plan for the afternoon was to take a bike ride with Jimmy and Gail over to a local sports bar called First Round Draft for a late lunch.  They were both home by 1:30 and we were on our bicycling way by 2........we zigged and zagged through side streets, along canals, over canals, and on sidewalks for about 2 miles before arriving at our destination....that Gail sets a stiff pace......:D  We found seats right next to the canal.  They have a good selection of draft beer, including Guinness, but nothing of a micro brew nature.  I settled on a Shock Top, and TLE had a Guinness.  We decided to just order an appetizer as I had eaten a small sandwich earlier.....all that work made my hungry!   We got the "Spring Rolls" with salsa and they were delish!

The Lovely Elaine

We arrived back home around 3:30.......I decided I wanted to take a dip in the pool to cool off (71 degrees), but TLE opted for the more conventional shower......she thought 71 was just too cold....to think she and I used to body surf at Manhattan Beach in the Pacific Ocean back in the 70's where the water barely gets to 69 in the summer......:D  I swam a couple of laps emerging refreshed, and not cold at all.

Jimmy made ribs for dinner....one of his specialties, and they were amazing.....that Cajun BBQ sauce set my sinuses to draining, and I think my hair was on fire for a brief moment.  We also threw the corn on the BBQ for about 10 minutes.....another great dinner.

Tuesday is moving day, but I'm going to let tomorrow take care of itself......we'll be saying our "until next times" and moving over 160 miles to the east coast of Florida, across "Alligator Alley" to Palmetto Bay to visit more friends....we'll be there a couple of days, then down to the Keys.

Thanks for stopping by!

"Cheeseburger In Paradise"

One of the things we love when we visit with friends and family in areas of the country we have not been before is the  "local knowledge" they provide.  A great example was our first night here (Saturday) when Gail and Jimmy suggested we go over to "Bike Night" in Cape Coral.  Today was another.......we took the Tropic Star over to Cabbage Key for lunch.  Cabbage Key is the home of Cabbage Key Inn and Restaurant.  Legend has it that Jimmy Buffet got his inspiration for the song "Cheeseburger in Paradise" at this restaurant while eating one of their cheeseburgers.  

These are events, and places we might have stumbled upon eventually, but usually too late to attend, or to go see, but Elaine's relatives, in this case, had an agenda ready for us when we arrived and all we had to do was say "Yes! Let's do that!".

For us being ready to leave at 8 am to catch the morning boat over to Cabbage Key was an early start for us.....well, maybe more so for TLE.....I'm usually up by 6:30 most mornings....:D   At any rate, we needed to leave at 8 am to drive 45 minutes to Pine Island to catch the Tropic Star which sails out of Jug Creek Marina and departs each morning at 9:30 am for the 1.5 hour trip to Cabbage Key.  There is usually a long queue where you wait in line 20-30 minutes to pay for your ticket, so we needed to arrive 45 minutes early to get on the boat on time.  If we were able to "sail" in  a straight line, as the crow flies, it would be a 45 minute trip at the most, but in order to avoid sand bars, and just plain shallow water it is a rather round about trip.  The boat cruises along at about 10 knots/hour so the trip is about 15-16 miles at 1 nautical mile equaling 1.151 miles.  Captain Bruce entertained us with a short rendition of the Gilligan's Island song......:D  Nothing like starting out a trip on an unfamiliar boat with a little tinge of doubt in your mind.

Boarding the boat

Coming into Cabbage Key

At the restaurant awaiting my Cheeseburger

Consummating the deal....with an Amber Bock to chase it

The cheeseburger was excellent, but not sure it was worth almost $10.....like Jimmy says....you get a $6.00 burger for $10.00.....everything costs more on an island.  I would give it a 4 on a 1-5 scale....throw in the ambiance, and good friends, and suddenly you're at a 5!

Climbing the Cabbage Key water tower

The boat ride, lunch and conversation provided for a lovely day.....just the kind of day we love.  Gail is the daughter of Elaine's father's brother Nestor.  Gail and Elaine were good friends as kids even though they are about 9 years apart in age.  They have been separated by a continent for 35 years........although she did see her briefly at a wedding in Bullard, TX a few years ago, this is the first time she and Gail have spent this much time together in 35 years.  I am so glad we were able to stop off for a few days.  

We had a wonderful fresh Salmon dinner with green beans, squash, and salad.....Gail and Jimmy are super people and we are so glad we are getting to spend time getting to know them better.

Thanks for stopping by!

Courtesy Parking and Bike Night.....

I never seem to sleep well the night before "moving day".  One would think after a year of doing this I would be sleeping like a baby, but that's just my nature.  I'm always thinking about how to best exit the current spot we are parked in....each spot is, of course, unique, so I'm always anticipating a potential problem.  Additionally I'm thinking of all the things I must do before I turn over the DD.  Of course, as it always turns out, exiting most sites is very easy, and all of the tasks get done quickly.....although it seems I almost always forget to turn off the pilot light on the water heater.  I know, I know......but I really don't like making lists anymore......just as much as I hate making reservations.  Besides I do have a voice activated reminder program.....I just say out loud....."Elaine, have I forgotten anything?" and she tells me if I have.....it works great.  I just wish I could get a good night's sleep the night before "moving day".  That's what I'm going to work on this year.......letting tomorrow take care of itself.

After I got everything done, except unplugging the electrical, TLE and I took the T'Bird over to a local car wash.  This is the first time she has been through a car wash in a long, long, long time.  After that was accomplished we ran by our friend's "home" and said our "until next times" and then headed back to the coach to unplug, and load the 'Bird for our 142 mile trip south to Fort Myers.  Backing out of our pull in spot was very easy, and it took just a few minutes to load the car.  We headed south on 301 to I-4, which took us to I-75 southbound.  I really like Florida roads......smooth and flat!

We stopped to "pay rent" at a CITGO in Brandenton.....I only put in $300...hoping to find a better price down the line....$300 bought us 75 gallons at $3.99/gallon....we've got about 2/3 of a tank now, and that will be good for a few weeks based on our travel plan.  So far we have only paid $500 in diesel rent since October 3rd!

From Brandenton it was another hour to Fort Myers.....we arrived just after 3 pm.   Elaine's cousin, Gail, and her husband Jimmy have a very nice home with a BIG, LOOONG driveway, which we were able to pull into easily, and for once I will not be thinking about backing out....it will be a cinch!  We're just a few steps from their screened in pool.  They live on a golf course, and are just a block from a river.

Around 7 pm we headed over to Cape Coral to the local "Bike Night" festivities......local motorcycle owners show up and have a big block party.  There were stages at each end of the street with bands playing, and a lot of vendors.  TLE and I each bought a cigar to smoke while we walked.  There were an estimated 800 bikes there last night....certainly not Sturgis, or Daytona Bike Week, but a pretty good size crowd.

Some cool bikes lit up with LED's....and there is one of the aforementioned cigars

A great first night in Fort Myers....tomorrow a very special adventure awaits us.......

Thanks for stopping by!

Mini's and Shortcake

Seems like we just left Cedar Key yesterday, but here it is Friday already.  We are only in Zephyrhills for 2 days so we have a packed schedule visiting with our Amazon.com friends, and doing site seeing.  

Several weeks ago when I mentioned in my blog that we were thinking about trading in the Thunderbird for a Mini Cooper, Sharon McBee suggested we visit Mini of Wesley Chapel when we came to Zephyrhills, so we took her suggestion and drove over to Wesley Chapel Friday morning around 10....it's only 19 miles from Baker's Acres.  This dealership only deals in new and used Mini Coopers.  The only stick they had on the lot yesterday was this 2006 Mini, which was a 5 speed.  I think they came out with the 6 speed (like Chris and Cherie's) in 2007.  This one was going for a little over $13,000, and I'm sure we could have worked them down a little lower.  This one is the base model, but it does have a moon roof.  In very good condition.  We left our contact information with Mike, so if anything else comes up we might be interested in he will call.  

2006 Mini Cooper with 51,000 on the ODO

After making a run to the local Walmart for some groceries we returned back to our home around 11:20 and were on our way over to Jim and Sharon's home by 15 til Noon.  Our plan for the day was to drive into Plant City for lunch at "Fred's Southern Kitchen".  You can order off the menu, or choose the buffet.  The buffet is reasonably priced, however, if you do not clean your plate you get charged an extra $2.00 for wasting good food....:D  It's called their "'Waste Not, Want Not' program.' Simply remember to take what you want, but eat what you take from our delicious buffet to receive our family reunion pricing"....taken directly from their menu.  Well, we chose buffet, and it was wonderful food made with fresh ingredients......fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, etc., etc., etc.  We all cleaned our plates, of course!

Next we moved over a few blocks to the old town area which is rife with wonderfully stocked antique shops......there were so many interesting things that we only got through 3 stores in over 2 hours.  One store had an amazing collection of vintage tools......however, I did not find tools I could not live without.  In the final store we spent time in (Miss Ruby's Antiques and Collectibles) Jim ran into a friend (one of the owners of the store) he had not seen in over 25 years....they used to be neighbors....what a small world!

We did come away with a few small items.....a vintage Florida license plate for my collection on the inside wall of our trailer, a small creamer, which we did need.......a covered butter dish, which we did need, and a cool pair of earrings for TLE......no new books.....:D

From antiquing we moved over to Parkesdale Market for some of their world famous Strawberry Shortcake.....Plant City is the Strawberry Capital of the World, and they have an annual Strawberry Festival celebrating that fact coming up the end of February.

TLE and I split one Strawberry Shortcake......

Of course, there was some silliness that was captured on camera.......but hey, what good is life if there can't be a little silliness everyday?  We decided not to wear the robes.....just the crowns.....:D

We had a great laid back day of visiting with friends, good food, and a little "junking" capped off by a great dessert.

Tomorrow, Saturday, we will bid farewell "until next time" to our Amazon.com friends, and then on to Fort Myers for some courtesy parking at the home of one of TLE's cousins....we'll spend a few days there, then over to Palmetto Bay to visit some more friends and more courtesy parking......then down to the Keys!  When we check out of Marathon Key on the 19th our daily cost over the 15 days for parking our coach will average around $15......not a bad average!

Thanks for stopping by!

Baker's Acres

Our home for 2 days in Baker's Acres

Wow, that three days in Fruitland Park went fast!  Already time to change our view again.  Now that we are back in travel mode for the foreseeable future, and our view is changing on a pretty regular basis there is a continual feeling of excitement about what each day will bring.

We planned to leave Fruitland Park around 11 am Thursday, but our plans are written in Jello....TLE went with Jim and Jacque to learn how to play "Pickle Ball" while I did some insurance work, dumped the black tank, and got the trailer ready to receive the T-Bird again.  It was a very humid morning, so we before we left we both ended up taking showers.  By the time we pulled out it was afternoon already.

We only had 64 miles to travel.....about 30 of that on Interstate 75, and the rest on secondary roads.  Our short drive was completely uneventful, and we arrived a little after 1:30 pm at our destination....Baker's Acres in Zephyrhills.  I found this park in RV Park Reviews.com a few days ago, and used their online reservation service to secure a spot long enough for our rig so we don't have to unhook the trailer.  Baker's Acres is part of the Care Free Resorts network.  They are a Passport America park, so we got two night for the price of one...$32....killer deal!  We have a nice 80 foot, grassy, pull in spot....we'll be able to just back out and be on our way Saturday.....easy in....easy out....my kind of place.

The best thing is we are only a few miles from our good friends from Amazon.com......the McBee's and Franscone's.  We so enjoyed our time with them in Campbellsville, and were looking forward to getting together with them outside the context of Amazon.

After getting settled in we called the McBee's and made a date for 4 pm.  Our friends live in a gated retirement community......one of many, in Zephyrhills.  The lots are individually owned, and usually have small structures which include screened in patios, small kitchens, bathroom, etc.  Most of the residents live in their RV's, but use these units during the day.

Every unit is different, but this picture of one lot for sale gives you an idea...where the car is parked would be where the motorhome would be parked.

Kafe Kokopelli - one of their dinning rooms

The Stag Bar....very cool and funky!

Around 5:15 we headed over to Kafe Kokopelli in the historic district of Dade City....what a cool, funky place....and the food is terrific!  We sat eating and laughing for over an hour.....just like we did on our days off in Campbellsville.  Afterward we retired back to Jim's home for more conversation, frozen daiquiris and a fire.....what a great way to end a wonderful evening spent with good friends.

TLE and Pat deep in conversation

We sat outside in the Jim and Sharon's screened in patio....still too early in the season for bugs, but always nice to have a screened in patio in Florida.  We headed home around 9:15 with big smiles on our faces....it will be hard to leave here in 2 days.  First thing Friday TLE and I will drive over to Mini's of Wesley Chapel to look at Mini Coopers, and then later we will head over to Plant City with our friends to do a little site seeing.

Life is good.......thank you for stopping by!