Lakeland, Florida

We made it to our final destination of the year, Lakeland, Florida. Lakeland is in central Florida, about half-way between Tampa and Orlando. Along the way, we've been lucky and have avoided any bad weather. Art was worried we might run across ice or snow during the final weeks of our travels.

The Lakeland Carefree RV Resort will be our winter home. Art picked out this campground last March during a trip to Florida and did a good job. Our site overlooks a pond, and we were thrilled to learn it is the home of many Florida birds, including blue herons, egrets, and 4 sandhill cranes. The cranes land every evening about 5:30p and fly away each morning. As they are landing and taking off they "talk" to each other. They also do a dance and jump up and down with their wings spread, which is fascinating to watch!

There are lots of nice retirees at the resort and a full schedule of activities starting in January. People can do as much or as little as they want. There are aerobics, biking, golf, crafts, cards, dinners, movies, and the list goes on. Our location is in close driving distance to everything we probably will need. Art is happy that he will be able to see Tiger spring training at the Joker Marchant Stadium, about 4 miles away. Also, there is the Lakeland Center, which hosts many entertainment and sports venues during the winter months.

After a few days in Lakeland, we flew to Knoxville to spend Thanksgiving with family - Jill, Wayne, Kristi, Brandon, and Cayla, and friends. Jill knocked herself out, cooking all day, and producing a wonderful Thanksgiving spread. We had lots of laughs and good food, and are glad we went! After our return, we spent the day tree-trimming with the Kluegels in Orlando - Jimmy, Suzanne, Madison, Ethan, Grace, and Annalise. It was a fun day and we are looking forward to spending more time with them over the next 4 months!

We were lucky to spend a day with our good friends, Rich and Dee Ann Schiappacasse, who were vacationing in Orlando at their time-share. They suggested a visit to the Fantasy of Flight Museum, which houses many rare and antique aircraft which are restored to flyable condition. The museum is owned by Kermit Weeks, a man who inherited millions from his grandfather, who discovered oil in Australia. Kermit has a passion for flying and has done a wonderful job on this museum. Besides the aircraft, there are many interactive exhibits, such as what it would have been like to fly a plane during WWII. We would highly recommend a visit there.

We have decided to suspend our blog until Art and I resume our travels in April, 2010. At that time, we will give a "brief" overview of our Florida adventures during the winter. We wanted to thank all of our loyal followers, and let you know we appreciate all of your interest! Please contact us if you want, at homelessad@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Art and Diane