Another winter in Florida...we are off!

Welcome to my blog for another year.  I am starting with our trip down to Florida and will post it once it is all done and we arrive in Harbour Ilse.  I hope all of you have a great winter and we will see you in the spring. In the meantime enjoy a little window into our southern life.

Well here we are again on our way to Florida. This is our 7^th season heading south to avoid the northern winter with its snow and cold. Actually, it’s the cold that drives us south. BRRR.  This year we are leaving a little later as the Canadian dollar is not the best and leaving family behind seems harder every year.  Who knows what is in the cards for next year but for this year we plan to have a roaring good time with our southern friends.

Our first day, November 26^th, we traveled to St. Paul, Minnesota and settled in to a great Best Western.  The weather was good, traffic light, and we made very good time reaching our destination. On the advice of the hotel staff we walked across the parking lot to a locally owned restaurant. He said the food was wonderful and he was right. Homemade and fresh, you can’t beat that.   I had the best turkey and wild rice burger with cranberry aioli. Yum!! Roger could not resist the liver and onions and he was not disappointed. 

After a good sleep we hit the road early and headed to Champagne Illinois. In the Wisconsin dells we stopped at our favorite cheese store. Every kind of cheese you can image, fresh and delicious.  After sampling several kinds we purchased a good variety. We stayed at a rather old and rustic Best Western, but it was cheap, clean and adequate.   To Roger’s chagrin I watched the Hallmark Channel’s post- thanksgiving movies all evening. Sappy, but wholesome. We laughed as the train rattled down the tracks across the street from the hotel shaking things up a bit. We slept well regardless and we were up and ready to roll out of town by 7:30. Traffic was very heavy with the post -Thanksgiving travelers hurrying to get home for Monday morning.  The temps are gradually getting warmer and we ended the day in Birmingham Alabama with a 22 C. Rain, wind and thunder loudly rumbled into the night with tornado warnings streaming across the TV. I guess that is the payoff for missing the snowfall up north.  We are never disappointed in the Drury Inn and true to form it was a great stay.

After a good night’s sleep, a shower and breakfast, we waved goodbye to Birmingham, turned onto the interstate and proceeded towards Florida.  As we drove the last miles through Alabama I was reminded how pretty the state is with the beautiful red and golden leaves clinging to the tall trees that spread across the landscape. Absolutely gorgeous.  Our 2 hour drive off the interstate gave us a glance into rural Alabama, the small towns with steepled white churches, boiled peanut stands, antique stores, and billboards with Christian messages. There were the old redbrick homes with large yards and rundown mobile home parks with rusty old trucks adorned with “Jesus Saves” bumper stickers parked outside the paint stripped trailers. American flags lined the main streets and Spanish moss hung from the trees. The sleepy towns rolled into larger ones and gradually we once again saw the big M sign, yes, a McDonalds, we were back to the future.  Just after we crossed the Florida border we pulled into the rest area to eat our picnic lunch. It was a heavenly 28 C. .Also heavenly, was our little picnic of Wisconsin cheese, apples and crackers.  Back in Florida we began to see the familiar sights and that feeling of excitement stirred inside as we knew we were indeed back to blue skies, warmth and sunshine.  

Our day ended in Gainesville Florida, only 3 ½ hours from Fort Pierce.  Another Best western was our choice after searching the internet for a great deal. It was a large hotel with lots of amenities and some nice perks that came with being BW members.  Our room was upgraded to a suite in a quiet area of the hotel not far from the outdoor courtyard and pool. A great little sports bar and grill was attached to the hotel which allowed us to relax and not have to drive anywhere.  It was early to bed for us as we knew the next day was going to be a busy one once we reached the condo in harbor Ilse.

It was a wonderful feeling to come over the bridge onto the island seeing the water and boats and knowing we were back to spend the winter with our friends here.  By the end of the day we were unpacked, had our new parking pass, a few groceries, and plans with friends for supper.   We rolled into bed exhausted but happy!!! A good tired! Tomorrow is a new day and the pool is calling. Did I mention it was 31 degrees C. J.