We’ve been here a week and we thought we’d fill you in on where we are and what we’re doing. Our first few days here we were getting organized and got our camper set up with our screen tent acting as our kitchen area. Our little 2 burner stove attaches to the outside of the camper and we put our table out there and even got ourselves a small fridge to use instead of the cooler. It’s not the most luxurious setup but it’ll work for the month we are here.

The RV resort itself is an interesting mix. There is a large section known as the French quarter that has campers who are French Canadians from small towns in Quebec. Most do not speak much English. We’ve been told that they are blue collar workers in the lumber business who come here in the winter when they can’t work. They seem to be very fun-loving and athletic folks who are seen either playing volleyball, bocci, shuffleboard or swimming. Our site is next to their area. There is also a large contingent of Hispanics, some families and a bunch of blue collar workers who share the park models as a way to escape the high rentals in the Miami area. There are also the just plain Americans from all over trying to escape the cold winter. It almost feels like we are in a foreign country.

The deal is that we get a free hook-up in exchange for some mural painting by me. Crystal, who is the manager, has decided that they need to have a food and clothing pantry where they had a rather crummy fitness center and that is where I’m painting. The first thing I did was paint a new sign.

I am also going to paint 2 small murals inside but am waiting until next week because they are re-painting the walls first.

In the meantime we have managed to do a few things in the area. Our first excursion was to the Royal Palm Visitors Center to walk the Anhinga Trail and Gumbo Limbo trail. The Anhinga trail is really like walking through a zoo with no cages. You walk along a slough with Anhingas nesting in the trees or fishing in the water where there are all kinds of fish (including a bunch of species that people introduced from their aquariums at home -not good).

Dinner time for baby Anhingas

There are also shorebirds

Double-crested Cormorant

and turtles

and lots of alligators.

Last Sunday we were wondering where we could watch the Superbowl since the Clubhouse didn’t have a TV. We discovered that the French Canadiens were setting up a large screen on the volleyball/bocci area and we were welcome to bring our chairs and watch. Only thing was it was in French! We managed to figure out what was happening without a problem. (The Canadian announcers signaled a score by shouting TOUCHE!)  It was an amazing game as we’re sure most of you know ending in a Patriots win in sudden death overtime. Both teams played well and it was very tense especially in the second half when they came from a 28 to 3 deficit to tie it up and go into overtime – unbelievable! It was a warm night so we were quite comfortable with just a light shirt.

About the weather, it has been quite warm and humid here. Days have been in the 80’s and nights not going below mid to upper 60’s. It looks like we are getting a bit of cooler weather coming up with lows down to 59 and highs only in the 70’s. The humidity is such that the mornings sound like it’s raining with heavy dew and the water dripping off the trees. We’ve learned to put a tarp over our picnic table at night so we have a dry place to sit for breakfast.

Last night we went out to dinner with a couple from New Jersey who knew of a wonderful seafood restaurant in Key Largo (about 20 miles away). We sat outside enjoying the water and the birds with our very fresh seafood dinners and watched the sunset—lovely!

Today we decided to check out Biscayne Bay NP which is about 8 miles from us. It is the largest marine park in America and encompasses the bay just south of Miami all the way to Key Largo.

Miami as seen across the bay from the jetty

We walked out the jetty trail where there were lots of people fishing and you can see schools of hundreds of fish all along the way and a few crabs.

At the end of the jetty is a closed area as seabirds congregate there. There was a beautiful white morph Great Blue Heron

along with a lot of Terns, Gulls, Cormorants and Pelicans.

Walking back there was another Great Blue Heron, this one the usual color.

They have a boat tour 4 days a week and also rent kayaks on the weekends. We are thinking of doing both.

We hear that the northeast is getting socked with big snowstorms and hope all are okay back home. We’re just fine down here where it’s warm.

Till next time.
N & D