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| Lake in Siesta Bay RV Resort at Sunset |
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| Annual Cooking Baking |
Happy 2019! Turns out we were fortunate to get a spot in Siesta Bay RV Resort for January due to a cancellation.
We really like this location, so we cancelled the reservation we had for January in Bonita, just south of here, and will stay here for the month instead. We returned to Ft. Myers on January 4th, after 3 weeks in Michigan for the holidays.
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| Three Granddaughters! |
We appreciated the mild winter weather while we were in Michigan this year. Hardly no snow and lots of good times with family and friends, including family Christmas celebrations, annual New Years Eve with friends, and a big baby shower for Beth and Kevin.
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| Kevin & Beth - Baby Shower |
Returning to the FL sunshine and warmth was very nice though, and we will make the best of the time here before we gladly leave for Maryland at the end of the month for baby time. We have already made a reservation to stay at Siesta Bay for three months next winter.
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| Historic information - Bunche Beach |
While here we have made a point of visiting some nearby areas we haven't been to previously. This includes "Historic Bunche Beach" which is just down the road from us and an easy bike ride. This beach is on the mainland looking across the bay to Estero Island and Sanibel Island. A small county park with a visitor's building, kayak rentals, etc. (Interesting history - you can click on picture to make it bigger to read).
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| Jim & Sylvan - Siesta Key near Sarasota |
We also traveled north of here about 90 miles to visit Siesta Key near Sarasota (not to be confused with Siesta Bay RV Resort - similar name but different locations).
Friends Sylvan and Sharon are visiting Siesta Key from North Carolina for several weeks and we enjoyed a nice visit with them as well as Sharon's sister Tiby and husband David who winter here from Chicago.
Siesta Key is consistently named one of the top beaches in the United States and it's easy to see why. There is a very wide beach area with white powder sand. Siesta Key has a small downtown area with restaurants and shops. We did not venture into nearby Sarasota, but am told this has even more to offer for the seasonal snowbirds.
We also checked out Pine Island; Florida's largest island, located north of Sanibel Island and west from the City of Cape Coral. There is no vehicle access to Pine Island from Sanibel Island, however, it's a pretty easy 45 minute drive from our location. Pine Island is pretty remote and natural and appears to be a great location to get away from it all especially if you own a boat. We saw a few small restaurants/bars and shops, but did not see amenities like you would find on Sanibel Island
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| Nauti Parrot Dock Bar - Ft. Myers |
Back in the Fort Myers Beach area, we discovered a couple more local restaurants we like, include the Nauti Parrot Dock Bar, Citrola's Italian Restaurant, and Schnitzel House (nice variety, huh?).
Jim has used this time to do some RV maintenance, including changing the anit-freeze and oil, battery maintenance, and roof caulking; all preventative. We had no issues with the RV being "stored" for the 3 weeks we were gone. We placed a large container of "damp-rid" in the RV to help with any humidity, but it did not seem to be a problem this time of year.
I am all set up and working remotely at my tax and accounting job. Very happy with the internet connection through the Verizon Jetpack hotspot. Pretty sure the cell booster is working to provide a stronger signal. It seems strange to be able to log in and do my old job from different locations, but love it!
Always looking ahead and making plans for the rest of the year, knowing it is subject to change. We plan on staying in Maryland February and March; then returning to the Florida panhandle for April. We will then start our way north stopping in North Carolina and Maryland before arriving in Michigan sometime in May. We hope to make a trip to Colorado the month of June and then spend much of the summer back in Michigan. Our elusive Maine and northeast trip is back on the calendar for late September/early October. Followed by another stop in Maryland and North Carolina; we expect to be back in Florida around mid November for the winter.
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| Darren, Cheryl, Ellie |
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| Dan, Jim, Megan, Anna, Deb, Christie |
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| Ellie & Beth |
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| Kevin & Beth - Baby Shower |
I wanted to share a few more family pictures from the holidays and baby shower. It was so nice having our family all together; can't wait for the new addition to the family.
We appreciated all the family and friends who attended the baby shower during the hectic holiday week, especially sister-in-law Linda who traveled from northern Michigan and Beth's friend Sara from TN.
Many thanks to everyone for your love and support.
