FEELS KIND OF HOMEY

2012 February 18

Our travels so far have taken us to one Thousand Trails Campground in South Carolina and six Encore Resorts, plus one night at LazyDays Campground. Each place had its pluses and minuses. With the exception of The Oaks in SC, and LazyDays, we've stayed at least a week and, in some places, two weeks. 

We've made friends in nearly all the places we've stayed, except for Sunshine Key, and The Oaks. I think the reason for that lack stems from those being places we stayed early on, when we first got on the road and we were still getting acclimated. 

Next Friday we head north in our journey through Florida, to Cedar Key. After that, we hope to visit in the panhandle for a little while, and then head through Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

We <3 our friends Jan & Marty :)

The stay here at Rambler's Rest Resort has been enhanced by the close proximity to our friends, Marty and Jan. Because we lack a tow vehicle, we are limited in our excursions to areas within a mile or a mile and a half of wherever we are staying, unless there is access to public transit, as there was at Fort Myers Beach. But this week, because Marty and Jan are really nice, kind people, they have come in their vehicle, picked us up and taken us places. 

Two of the four Critters who own our friends.

Last weekend, they brought us to their beautiful home for pizza and to meet their menagerie. Then in mid week they came and took us to the beach, the Venice pier, for ice cream, to see the jetty in Venice, and to the Audubon Rookery. Today, they once again opened their home to us. This time we got to watch the Penguins kick some Flyer butt, play with their three precious pups, drink fabulous wine, and eat delicious veggie lasagna. We are blessed to know such nice folks! 

Sunset over Rambler's Rest, in Venice FL

The stay here at Rambler's Rest has been pleasant, too, because of the general atmosphere of peace and quiet, but also because this is one of the first parks we've been in where there are more than just older folks. There seems to be a wide range of ages here, which for me makes the experience more rewarding. On Sunday, at services, there was a man with his four children, who seemed to range between maybe two, up to maybe eleven. Raymond has been hitting golf balls regularly and putting on their practice green. After doing some of that the other evening before dinner, he managed to get involved in some hoop action with a youngster he guessed to be about twelve. We've seen numerous kids biking with folks we assume are their grandparents, at the pool, and fishing from the dock. This is a nice change for us. Especially since the kids we've seen have all been well mannered and fun. Nary a cranky kid in sight.

It will be a little odd to leave here on Friday, because in the seven days we've been here, it's come to feel very homey.