...And Then There Were MORE Boat Troubles

Friday morning I jumped out of bed early and drove over to the Indian Reservation to do our laundry.  After that I cleaned the motor home and dug out the linens for Marianne, Kevin and Jackson.  In the early afternoon Billy and I drove to Lake Placid to pick up our boat and to stop on the way home for groceries.  After a short walk with Maggie to see the Egrets, Herons and alligators Marianne and Kevin arrived with Jackson.  We have been blessed with a sweet and very very good grandson.  He is an absolute joy to be around and we miss him terribly when he is gone.  Billy and Kevin went out on Lake Okeechobee Saturday afternoon fishing after a morning of bacon, eggs, stone-ground grits and biscuits.  YES!  Jackson just loved those grits.  Marianne, Jackson and I drove into town to pick up a swimming pool and a few things for Jackson.  After that we enjoyed an afternoon of watching Jackson splash and experience his pool.  Billy prepared steaks on the grill for dinner and a nice relaxing day came to an end.  Sunday morning Marianne and Kevin opted to say "no" to their kind invitation to go out on the airboats for the day so that they could sit around and enjoy a lazy afternoon with us old folks.  I am so thankful that they enjoy us as much as we enjoy them.  Jackson swam in his pool again after a breakfast of sausage/gravy biscuits while we lounged around outside and enjoyed our family.

I have been busy sewing as fast as I can to finish the Dedication Gown and Slip.  I completed the last stitch on the slip today so I am about to begin on the matching bonnet!  Our new sleep number mattress arrived in the mail Friday, but my "sewing" order is not here yet.  Billy had to take the boat back to Lake Placid today for more repairs.  I don't understand boat motors, but I do understand that these repairs are extensive and thankfully the motor is still under warranty.  Yippee....just hope they repair it quickly because we need to be fishing!

                             (Below is a picture of Billy reading a good night story or two to Jackson.)

We are having left overs for dinner tonight, and I plan to continue sewing.....Life is Good Today!

Weekend in Tampa

Billy and I pulled the boat to a repair shop between Okeechobee and Tampa on Friday while in route to spend the weekend with Marianne and Kevin and babysit for Jackson while they attended a Sunday School gathering.  Jackson is just the sweetest and he saved his first steps to be shared with Big Daddy and Meemaw.  We went to Parksdale Farm Market (http://www.parkesdale.com/) on Saturday and enjoyed Plant City strawberry shortcake.  As always it was the best, and sorry.....I forgot the camera.   We thoroughly enjoyed our extended four night visit with the kids, but will need to drive back to the swamp tomorrow.

Billy and I have exciting news - we were offered and accepted a "job" today as campground hosts at Elijah Clark State Park near Lincolnton, GA.  In exchange for a free campsite and utilities, campground hosts volunteer to meet and greet arriving campers, offer check-in assistance, perform minor maintenance tasks and meet visitors from all over the world.  It will involve each of us working 10 hours a week, and hopefully we will be campground hosts from the first of June until the first of December.  Elijah Clark State Park is located on the western shore of 70,000 acre Clarks Hill Lake.  This park is named for a frontiersman and Georgia war hero who led pioneers during the Revolutionary War.  A renovated and furnished log cabin museum displays furniture, utensils and tools circa 1780 and is open for weekend tours April through November.  Visitors can also view the graves of Clark and his wife, Hannah.  Anglers and boaters enjoy the park's location on the largest man-made lake east of the Mississippi River and swimmers and sun-bathers can use the white sand beach.  Cottages are located on the lake's edge and the spacious campground is nestled in the forest.

So....."Life is Good Today!"  Thanks for stopping by.

Boat Motor Issues

After a lazy morning and a long walk with Maggie Billy and I decided to launch the boat at Harney Pond and do some fishing.  At 81 degrees it was a good day for it.  Cruised by this large alligator, and is it me?....or is he smiling?  About the time we got out into the Lake the motor began cutting out.  We limped it back into shore and passed our alligator who was still on shore with a few more to keep him company.  We found a repair shop in Lake Placid so we will be towing it out of here tomorrow.  Still enjoying this area....."Gotta Go Where the Wind and the Water are Free."

Harney Pond and Laundry Day

Yesterday Billy and waited until noon for the weather to warm up a bit and then we launched the boat down the road in Harney Canal.  Along the Rim Canal to Harney Canal is also where I try to walk Maggie every day.  I say "try" because if it is too hot she sits down halfway and refuses to go farther.  If the wind is blowing hard she also sits down so the wind does not pick her back feet up putting her in a walking dog handstand.  Where we launch the boat is in the town of Lakeport, in a park that's alternately known as the Harney Pond Canal Recreation Area and Margaret Van De Velde Park.  It affords the best view of Lake Okeechobee.  This walk is long on scenery.  Scrambling up two banks to a boardwalk that's pointed towards the stars, you can see increasingly beautiful views of the Indian Prairie and marshlands around Fisheating Creek as you walk up, up, up.  At the very top you have a panoramic view of canals, marshes, and the ribbon of open water in the distance.  It was a beautiful day; however, not a good day for us to catch fish.  Guess we should get serious and get out there on the water at daybreak!  We came home and Billy treated me to a Valentine's Day dinner at Cheers and Beers.  It is our favorite place in the close vicinity to eat and is quite reasonable to boot. Tuesday night is dart tournament night at Cheers and Beers, but it has been a long long time since we have thrown darts.

The Seminole Reservation is about five minutes from Twin Palms RV Resort.  The Seminoles of Florida call themselves the "Unconquered People," descendants of just 300 Indians who managed to elude capture the US army in the 19th century.  Today, more than 2,000 live on six reservations in the state - located in Hollywood, Big Cypress, Brighton, Immokalee, Ft. Pierce, and Tampa.  The Seminoles work hard to be economically independent.  To do this, they have jumped into a number of different industries.  Tourism and bingo profits pay for infrastructure and schools on their reservations, while citrus groves and cattle have replaced early 20th century trade in animal hides and crafts as the tribe's primary revenue sources.  Maggie goes "bonkers" when pass fields of cattle here because she believes they are buffalo.  While becoming economically diverse, the Seminoles also maintain respect for the old ways.  Some still live in open, palm-thatched dwellings called chickees, wear clothing that is an evolution of traditional styles, and some celebrate the passing of the seasons just as their ancestors did more than two centuries ago.  "Chickee" is the word Seminoles use for "house."  The chickee style of architecture - palmetto thatch over a cypress log frame- was born during the early 1800's when Seminole Indians, pursued by US troops, needed fast, disposable shelter while on the run.  So popular, efficient and functional is the chickee that such Seminole architecture can be seen all over South Florida.  It appears to me that each Seminole homestead here has a chickee on the property.  The chickee structure should last about ten years and needs to be re-thatched every five years.

This morning I loaded up the truck with dirty laundry and went to the laundromat on the Seminole Reservation to "Git R Done."   Returned to find Billy nursing a very sunburned face. After Maggie's walk today  I plan to go into Wal Mart (the $100 store) to get the green sunburn "stuff" (Aloe).   Maybe time for some more sewing!  Life is Good Today as always.

Fisheating Creek and Another Fantastic Airboat ride

Friday evening Billy and I went over to the "fancy" RV resort that has a restaurant named Sherry's Hide Out.  Billy had a very good meal of grouper and I had a Caesar Salad.  A party of 7 older men and 6 older women came in right before us to enjoy the fish they had caught that day and had the restaurant prepare for them.  We were amazed to see two large aluminum dishes piled high with fish served to their tables.  The rv park (http://morganrvresorts.com/pages/northlakeestates_homepage) was huge with carports for their golf carts, flowers planted around their rv's, and white picket fences.  I don't want that much organization in my life.  To quote Jimmy Buffet "I want my Junior Mints!"

Last night Billy and I visited Chappy's Convenience Store down the road.  It is the closest source for groceries and they have a very good butcher.  We left with two beautiful ribeye steaks which Billy expertly prepared on the grill.  It was a pleasant ending to an otherwise cold and dreary day that I had spent sewing.

At 10:00 am this morning Billy and I helped Ray Freeman and "Froggy" put the two air boats in the water across the street from our campground.  We took a ride through Fisheating Creek into Lake Okeechobee where it flows.  I even got to drive the boat.  IT WAS GREAT FUN!  Fisheating Creek is undoubtedly one of the prettiest streams in FL.  Tea-colored water journeys swiftly through thick cypress swamps and beside hardwood hammocks only to open into small lakes where wildlife abounds.  This area, especially the upper creek, is an area little disturbed by humans.  We love it.   Now managed by the state of FL, Fisheating Creek had been in the hands of  ranchers who left the river as it was, and no development occurred.  The turkeys, deer, wild hogs, alligators aplenty and more birds than I can identify live and thrive there.  We saw many large alligators and I saw the fastest land moving alligator I have ever seen.  We stopped off where the remains of a wild boar (Ray said it was probably an alligator's dinner) were scattered along the bank.  The name Fisheating Creek is derived from the Creek Thlothlopopka-hatchee meaning "the creek where fish are eaten."  Early inhabitants, known as the Belle Glade people, began building mounds and other earthworks along  the banks of Fisheating Creek between 1000 and 500 BCE.  They subsisted by netting fish and harvesting turtles, snakes, and alligators.  For these early people the creek was also a canoe highway leading to Lake Okeechobee and its natural resources to the east and other settlements to the west.

During the Second Seminole War (1835-1842), a cabbage palm palisade at the site was named Fort Center for LT  J.P. Center.  Oscen Tustenuggee, who had organized many war parties, and his two brothers Micco Tustenuggee and Old Tustenuggee and their wives lived in villages along the creek.  The fort was reactivated at the start of the Third Seminole War in 1855.  At the conclusion of the war in 1858, many Indians had been removed from FL.  In 1881, the federal government found 37 extended families living in and near Fisheating Creek.  By 1930, cultivation of sugar cane, cattle ranching, and establishment of a refinery forced the remaining Seminoles to move from Fisheating Creek Wildlife Management Area..  That is probably more than you would ever want to know about Fisheating Creek, but I find the lifestyle and history here fascinating.  I am told that Billy and I must enjoy a bowl of Swamp Cabbage Soup before we leave here.  We arrived back at the motor home to find that the "Grapefruit Fairy" (our neighbor) had stopped by.    Life is Good Today and we are going to rest our sunburned faces.  Thanks for stopping in.

Bass Fishing on Lake Okeechobee

I know.....two posts on the same day but we have been unusually active.  We hung around the motor home this morning until it warmed up around noon and then took our boat out bass fishing.  The sounds that we heard while in the Everglades sounded like we were in a tropical rain forest.  I barely fished because I was entertained by the wildlife.  Billy caught a few bass, a few mud fish, and a few catfish.  We saw some gators but weren't fast enough with the camera to get them to pose for a Kodak moment.  Maggie has a new nickname - "Gator Bait."   She barked at each fish Billy pulled in and had herself a grand old time.  Think that I have talked Billy into a Wal Mart run for sundries, and then I plan to sew again after we have BLT's for dinner.  We stopped by the corner produce stand yesterday and picked up some farm raised tomatoes.  We didn't have to buy any of the beautiful Florida citrus since one of our fellow campers gave us some ruby red grapefruit from his grapefruit farm.  Life is so very good today.

Seminole Casino/Brighton

Yesterday was still windy and rather chilly, so we loaded up the truck and drove 10 minutes to the Seminole Casino.  I played the penny slots for hours and walked away $19.00 to the good.  With our new players club card we each were given $30 in free play.  I lost Billy while he was losing his $30; however, a good time was had, and we will be back.  We ate dinner in the Casino.  Billy had catfish and was horribly disappointed, but my pizza was yummy.

I have just returned from taking Maggie for a walk along the Canal Rim of Lake Okeechobee and here are a few photos that I shot.  You can double left click on each photo to enlarge it.  The little rickety bridge is in Twin Palms RV park and the lily pads are beautiful.  Sometimes I walk the rim canal enjoying the sounds of Jimmy Buffet on my ITouch, and sometimes I simply enjoy the nature sounds that abound here.  Life is Good Today.  We are going out fishing around noon.  Thanks so much for stopping by.

Air Boat Ride and Oyster eating through the Everglades!

You can double left click on a photo to make it bigger.

Ray Freeman on the left who worked in the Forensics Lab with Billy.  Note the oyster shucker contraption!

The birds in flight were beautiful.

Met up with Ray Freeman and his buddies across the street from our RV park and took four air boats for a ride and picnic through the Everglades and into Lake Okeechobee.  Now that is the way to see the Everglades.  These fellows have done this before because they had the perfect "contraption" on board to make shucking those oysters a little easier.  I had such a wonderful time and couldn't take enough photos.  Billy apparently feels the need to get back out on water so that he can catch a few fish, so he is preparing to put our boat in the water.  I am going to stay behind to sew and watch the Super Bowl.  Life is surely good today.

Glades County, FL

Yesterday after my 7:00 am doctor's appointment at MacDill we packed up for "moving day."  Billy drove the motor home, and I followed towing the boat.  It was the first time I have towed anything for 30 years, and doing so was way out of my comfort zone.  I did great however, only took out one curb.  We are staying at Twin Palms RV park in Glades County, FL.  There are only about 10 RVs parked here along with a few small cabins that fishermen rent for short terms.  Glades County was created in 1921 and was named for the Florida Everglades. It is located in south central Florida on the western bank of Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee is the largest fresh water lake in Florida and adds tremendous value to the quality of life in Glades County. Glades County is known for tourism, cattle, fishing, sugar cane, produce, and citrus industries. The total area of Glades County is 986 square miles; 774 square miles is land and 213 square miles is water. The population of Glades County is approximately 11,100 with approximately 2,780 families.

Moore Haven is the County Seat and has a population of approximately 1800. Moore Haven is located on the banks of Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee River. The river is part of Florida's Intracoastal Waterway. Moore Haven was named after the founder of the community, James A. Moore. There are five unincorporated communities in Glades County, Buckhead Ridge, Lakeport, Ortona, Palmdale, and Muse. The Brighton Seminole Indian Reservation is in northeast Glades County.  We will have to go over (a few miles away) to the Reservation to do our laundry.  Hope they have slot machines in the laundry area.  :)

Glades County is an amazing place that's home to great people, an abundance of natural resources, and a diverse agricultural landscape. The people of Glades County are diverse in their heritage, colorful in their history, and strong in their faith. People get along with one another as evidenced by low instances of crime.  Billy and I both felt a calm feeling come over us as soon as we set up camp yesterday.  We are backed up on a fresh water pond with wild life all around.  I started to take Maggie for a long walk around the pond to check her pee mail, but stopped short because we were too hot.  Glad I did as later in the evening our neighbor pointed out 2 of the 3 alligators to me.

Glades County residents appreciate the serenity found in the abundance of natural resources throughout the county. Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee River are key natural resources that provide for a variety of recreational activities. The Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail winds its way through the county. Bird watching is an important pastime to many so I will start taking our camera with me when I go for long walks. Residents and tourists are attracted to the boating, fishing and wildlife. Fisheating Creek sports a marvelous canoe trail. Walking and bicycling are enjoyed by many.  Lake Okeechobee and the rim canal are across the street from us and Maggie and I discovered that the rim is a great place for a long nature walk.

Billy is going fishing with Ray Freeman tonight, and I plan to hang around camp and work on my sewing.  Pictures to come later......"Life is Good Today."