March 13-23, 2015

Our drive to Ft Myers was smooth and quick compared to our morning drive on Friday. We took Hwy I 75 the entire way and fortunately there were no slowdowns heading south. We arrived at Cypress Woods RV Resort at 5:30 pm and were immediately warmly greeted by my Brother Wayne and Sister-in-Law Lynn and welcomed to our new home for the next 10 days. We were very fortunate to be able to set up on a  empty site owned by good friends of Wayne and Lynn’s who were not able to go south this winter and it is just a few doors down from Wayne and Lynn’s site. Thank you so much Jean and George!! Your site is  absolutely beautiful (as  is the entire Cypress Woods Resort) and we have really enjoyed our stay here. We refer to our site as staying at The Taj Mahal in comparison to any other RV site we have stayed at during our entire trip! (See pics)

Once we were set up, we joined Wayne and Lynn at their site for a few cold drinks during which time my Sister Donna and Brother-in-law Wayne arrived to greet us and also welcome us to Ft Myers. Donna and Wayne are staying in a lovely Condo at The Verandah Resort just a 10 minute drive from Cypress Woods. They have been there for the months of February and March. We had a great visit getting caught up with one another. It was so nice to finally be with Family again after so many months on the road.

As it had been a long hot day and lots of driving, we made it an early to bed night after an easy dinner of left overs.

On Saturday we awoke to beautiful sunshine and the day promised temperatures in the high 80’s which is what we have had every day we have been here. We have been waiting for this beautiful HOT weather all winter long and we finally have it!! First thing in the morning, Rob washed the RV and I gave Jazz her weekly combing. I then spent a couple hours at the pool and we then had a lazy afternoon until Happy Hour at 4 pm at which time we joined Donna and Wayne at Wayne and Lynn’s site for drinks and then a delicious “Welcome to Cypress Woods” steak dinner followed by wonderful Key Lime pie. Thank you Wayne and Lynn for making us feel so welcome and for touring us around the area all this week. (See pics)

On Sunday, Lynn and I were picked up by Donna at 11:30 am and off we went for a bit of shopping. I was searching for new bedding but I wasn’t able to find what I was looking for. But we had a great day anyway and I did pick up a few other things. While we were out, the guys went out shopping as well and Rob was able to find new walking sandals which he had been looking for for quite some time. So everyone had a good shopping spree. We then all returned to Wayne and Lynn’s and watched the Nascar race on their patio for a while. We returned back to our RV to watch the end of the race and then had Pork Tenderloin on the BBQ for dinner.

Monday was a quiet day spent lazing around the pool and reading at the RV site.  We had Wayne and Lynn over to our place for dinner that night and BBQ’d some chicken and sausages to go with with my Italian scalloped potatoes and Caesar salad.

Tuesday was St Patrick’s Day so Wayne and Lynn and Rob and I met Donna and Wayne and 2 of Donna’s friends who had arrived from London, Ont  on Sunday night in downtown Ft Myers at 4 pm. Ft Myers had closed down the main streets downtown and were holding a St Patrick’s Day street party from 4 pm til 10 pm with lots of food, drinks and live music. We thought to beat the crowds we should have an early dinner before joining in on the street party so the 8 of us had a nice dinner at Ford’s Garage (named after Henry Ford) See pics. It is quite a unique restaurant with a  Model T replica suspended over the Bar area which blew out fake exhaust (dry ice) from it’s tailpipe every half hour or so. In the washrooms, the sinks were car tires and the faucets were gas pump nozzles. It was a neat place! I had a really good Lamb Burger and even the bun it was on had the Ford logo on it. (See pic)

After dinner we roamed the streets listening to music and enjoying a few libations. We particularly enjoyed listening to a local band from Matlacha named The Hypnauticals.  Rob and I didn’t have any green clothing to wear for St Paddy’s day so we dug out the green beads from our Mardi Gras collection and all 8 of us wore the beads as we enjoyed the festivities.

Wednesday morning came early as the guys had a golf game arranged for 8:45 am and we girls had planned to go to Donna’s condo resort to go kayaking from 8:30 am til 10:30 am. It was a beautiful morning for kayaking and we were happy that we had planned our ride before the real heat of the day hit. Lynn and I rode in one double kayak and Donna and her friend Michelle rode in another double kayak. I must say that Lynn and I were very synchronized kayakers and we had a fun ride down the Orange River and back. We didn’t see any alligators thank goodness but we did see  birds and turtles on our ride. We then went back to Donna’s condo for a delicious brunch. Thanks Donna!

We then  returned to Cypress Woods where Jazz was patiently waiting for us in the comfort of the cool A/C in the RV. The guys had a good time golfing and after lunch they returned home at around 1:30 pm. The rest of the day and evening was quiet time.

Thursday was another early morning as we had rented a Pontoon boat at Ft Myers Beach and had to be there for 9:30 am to get all the paper work done. Wayne, Lynn, Rob, Jazz and I met Donna and Wayne and Donnas 2 friends Michelle and Susie at the Fish Tales Marina and by 10 am we were on board the boat and ready to go. We were also joined by another group of 8 people from Cypress Woods who had a Pontoon Boat rented as well. As their Captain had been on these waterways a few times before, we followed them for the day. Our Captains, Wayne Peck and Rob did a fine job of navigating the vessel. We had a wonderful day out on the water. It was another really hot day but there was no better place to be but on the water enjoying the beautiful scenery and the breeze. Even Jazz enjoyed her first pontoon boat ride. (see pics)

We had lunch and snacks out on the water and returned to the Marina around 4 pm. With all that sun and heat, we were all very tired so after returning back to Cypress Woods, to drop Jazz off at the RV, Wayne, Lynn, Rob and I went to the Texas Roadhouse nearby for dinner and then early to bed soon after.

On Friday, Wayne and Lynn took us on a tour to Pine Island which we really enjoyed. We first stopped off to see Ozzie and Harriot’s  nest and were able to see their new baby E6 sitting on a branch just outside of the nest. Ozzie and Harriot are bald eagles and are well known in the Ft Myers area and have many faithful followers watching them daily. Sadly, Ozzie was injured just a few days ago and is presently being cared for in a rehab facility as he has a broken clavicle. So. Harriot is all on her own for several weeks now taking care of her baby. (See pics)

After a nice drive, we stopped for lunch at a local restaurant right on the water on the Island. We were able to see 2 Manatees while we were there which was fun . (See pics) After lunch we headed back home but stopped on the way to go grocery shopping as our frig and freezer were looking quite empty.

Today, Saturday, we have been invited to some of Wayne and Lynn’s neighbours for a Happy Hour party at 4 pm where we will participate in a Wii Bowling tournament. This should be very interesting as Rob and I have never used a Wii before so we will have no idea how to do it. Apparently there is suppose to be 30 or more people at the party.  Rob combed Jazz first thing this morning and we will spend the day by the pool until it is time to get ready for Happy Hour later.  Tonight for dinner we will BBQ some fresh Salmon we picked up yesterday.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Ft Myers. Donna and Wayne have invited the 4 of us over to their condo tomorrow afternoon to watch the Nascar race and for dinner so that will be a nice way to spend our final day here.

On Monday morning, we will head out early to drive to the Florida Keys where we will spend the next 6 nights. Stay tuned for our adventures in the Keys. Key West here I come!! Yahoo!!!

We will squawk again at the end of next week.