It’s been a while since the last blog, but not much has changed in our lives. We have spent the past month enjoying great weather in Cortez, which is a mile from Bradenton Beach. We have moved a bit since our last blog as the site we were on in February was reserved for March so we moved four sites down the street. But whether you move 4 sites or 400 miles you still need to do a bit of work to prepare the motorhome. After a drive of about 30 seconds, we backed into our new home and did our usual set-up (leveling jacks down, slides out, chairs set up, beer opened).
The people in the park are very friendly and easy-going. The site we now occupy was previously occupied by a couple from Spring Grove, a neighboring town of our previous residence in Pennsylvania, who store their motorhome in the same place we did before we went full-time. Another neighbor is a neat guy from Indiana called Slim. Slim has a heart condition which keeps him moving a bit slow, but he loves to fish.
A Pelican waits for any "leftovers" from Slim
Most of our days are spent going to the beach or riding our bicycles. Some days it pays to combine both, as the traffic crossing on to Anna Maria Island where the beaches are located is very crowded. Apparently old people from the North come down here to crowd the roads and take all the good seats in restaurants, so it is much quicker to throw the chairs on your back and ride your bike past the traffic jam.
You then just lock your bike to the fence and sit down and enjoy the sun. There is a nature preserve just to our north called Robinson Preserve that has a beautiful bike/hike trail that goes along the edge of Tampa Bay. We spent one day riding through the preserve enjoying the “flora and fauna”.
In the above photo you can just make out the Sunshine Skyway Bridge that takes I-275 across Tampa Bay.
A few weeks ago we had a visit from the princess of the North (daughter Jessica) who wanted to get away from the bad weather of southern Pennsylvania.
For the past few days we have been enjoying a visit from the Queen Mother, Pam’s mother Fran, who is visiting from her home in Clayton, NY. Clayton is a neat little town along the St. Lawrence River in the Thousand Island area of northern New York. We enjoy visiting Clayton each summer, as the St. Lawrence is one of the most beautiful rivers in the world in the summer. We shared a meal at the Mar Vista Restaurant on Long Boat Key (just over a short bridge south of Anna Maria Island) sitting outside looking at Sarasota Bay.
Our stay here in Cortez will last until the end of March then we begin a slow move north. We intend to stop along the panhandle of Florida and visit some of the beaches along the coast there then into the coast of Alabama. From there we’ll go north to visit Memphis.
The good news we recently received was an offer (which we accepted) on our house in Shrewsbury, PA. The house has been vacant since we left last June and we have only had one other offer (extremely low) since then. Fulltimers say you are never totally independent until you sell your house, something we agree with as the house has been a constant concern for us. Settlement is probably going to take place before the end of March, then we will be true gypsies!
Thanks for stopping by . . .
Oh, the Places They Go! 