We are back in Florida for a few months of warmth and sun. So far, so good. We are renting a nice little campsite in Palmetto with access to a pool, hot tub, and all kinds of activities we can opt into at will. We’ve been here since last Wednesday getting settled in and getting our camper in order. We took a break Friday evening to run up to St. Pete to see Diane, one of my card club buddies, and check out the Holiday lights at the Pier. As always, it was great to see her—and her pup Gracie. There were colorful lights and live musicians everywhere. Lots of fun. It’s nice that Diane is so close by. There will be some beach and pool days in the coming weeks.

We’ve made a couple of trips into Bradenton the last few days, allowing us to get a new dose of Florida style. Sharing for your viewing pleasure (tap picture to enlarge and see captions):

We spent last weekend with Andrew in Dubuque. He is the Operations Director for Heritage Works Dubuque--an organization that leverages architectural heritage to drive community revitalization and economic development (heritageworksdbq.com​).
 
If you know Andy, you know he's the best tour guide ever. He knows all the history, background, and details that make touring interesting. Dubuque is a small town, with a lot to offer: industry, tourism, three universities, arts, well-preserved historic architecture, and diverse geography. While we were there we visited Eagle Point Park, the Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, Galena, IL, the rolling hills north of town, the Incline, many neighborhoods (including the Millworks District), some great restaurants,  Andy's neighborhood hangout--Monk's, and of course the Field of Dreams.  

We were neighbors with Jane and Randy for three months last winter. Since then, they’ve been on the road except for a few weeks. We have the pleasure of being their neighbors again for the month of February. They went deep sea fishing this week and brought home grouper, snapper, and sea bass. (The puffer fish stayed put!) They also brought home a new air fryer, and then invited us to join them for a fish fry. It was delicious—they’re the best!

This area is full of nature preserves and places to walk along the many bays nearby.

So Doug and I are back in Florida for a few months. RV living is actually a really good way to isolate during a pandemic. We can travel without motels and restaurants, and where we are we can be outside every day.  I am still doing outdoor yoga remotely, and Doug plays softball and golfs a bit.

Like last year we are in the Bradenton area, but a different RV park and part of town. We are in a more rural spot north of Palmetto, which gives us some new exploring opportunities.

We are in a park with 400 sites for RV's, so there's a lot to see. This pic is for my older brother Dave, who wished for a deck on his trailer.

Last week we were in search of a post office nearby which led us to the little town of Terra Ceia (Supper Land?). It combines small farms and ranches with bayside residential developments and a large nature preserve. We stopped at a roadside market/convenience store/ice cream stand that featured a rather large and extravagant doll house and toys that were not to be touched. And we came across some interesting yard ornaments.

So 2020 went from bad to worse. We lost friends and family to COVID-19 and it upended our economy.  We literaly fought with each other over problems with race and class that we have not been able to resolve in generations.  And then threw gasoline on those fires using the presidential election as our excuse. The leaders we chose failed us.  And we've failed to hold them accountable. But we still have opportunities to do better, be involved, make improvements. And it's still our job to hold those we choose to represent us accountable. 

Our best news amid all this chaos was the arrival of our grandson, Owen Douglas Miller, on May 1. He is thriving, his parents are providing him with so much love, and he is a beacon of joy to all of us. 

So it's a new year, we have each other, and a chance to do better.

Given the current circumstances, I cannot possibly get away with saying I don't have time for a blog post, so here goes.

We are still in Florida. Here, the state is pretty much leaving things up to counties and even cities to decide how to respond to the COVID-19 epidemic. Restaurants and other gathering places are closed, and most activities are cancelled, but some beaches, golf courses, and even a few swimming pools are still open. All activities and facilities (except the laundry room) at the RV park where we are staying closed about two weeks ago, and many campers have left.

We have been staying home since Monday, and plan to keep to ourselves until, and after, we get back to Ohio. After all, we have a grandson arriving May 1, and we want to be healthy when he makes his appearance. We did, however have to make a quick run to WalMart for a few supplies this morning. I was relieved to see that it was not crowded and therefore easy to keep our distance. See for yourself:

I am not even close to running out of things to do. I've finished two books and am way behind on The New Yorker. I have knitting (baby cocoon) and sewing {Christmas stocking) projects underway for the baby. Like the good little girl that I am, I brought coloring books and a pot holder loom with me in case I get really bored. So I have a few random pics to share from the last couple of weeks.

We made friends with our RV neighbors Jane and Randy this winter. Fun and lovely people from Alabama. They have taken up golf this year so we got in the habit of playing a little nine-hole course nearby on Sundays. I stuck strictly to cart driving as it's hard for me to see one, not to even mention 300, yards ahead of me. So they spent time sweating, swinging and laughing around the course while I took a picture here and there.

Earlier in the month we got to see my sister-in-law Michelle. She took a little spring break trip to visit friends and family down this way. We met up with her in St. Petersburg for lunch before she headed back home.  It was fun to catch up as we dined outdoors and dockside where we saw a couple of floating bars of the tiki hut and shark varieties.

When self-isolating, pets find it so comforting to have a service human around.

With studios and classes closed here, I was so glad to find that my yoga teachers at home are offering on-line classes, which I enjoy from my outdoor studio!

So here we are, adapting to these strange circumstances. I am thankful that my friends and family are healthy and pray that they stay well. As Larry David would say, that being said, we will figure this out and make our way through it together. Namaste.

I have been taking some classes at Heartwood Yoga Institute for the last couple of months. It’s located on seven acres about 10 miles west of Bradenton. It’s a pleasant drive out of town and past a number of small ranches. Heartwood offers a variety of yoga programs, classes, and training for those who want to become certified teachers. It is, appropriately, a calm and peaceful place.

Well that month went fast! Kate, Ben and Dave arrived on the fourth for a week. They stayed out at the beach, and we spent the days enjoying their company out there. There was some boating, beach walks, lots of swimming, and many meals.

This view of the bay from their balcony caught the moon rising on the left and the setting sun’s reflection on the water to the right.

We went boating on what turned out to be a very chilly morning.

And these photos are from a visit to Annie’s Bait and Tackle where we (yes, it’s true) had lunch, and I finally gave in and bought a shirt. One of the pics below actually contains a shot of Annie’s, where the food is not fancy, but always good. Don’t know about the bait because I’m not much of a fisherman.

The week included a trip to Mixon’s, naturally. All in all, very typical of the many times we’ve spent here. So much fun to share it with some family.

We ended the month with a quick visit with Peggy and Wally Hysell. We spent A very windy Leap Day touring Anna Maria Island and showing them some of our favorite places there.

Doug's BFF since their days at OSU,  Jeff Dvorin, was surprised by his wife Susan with a weekend trip to Florida to celebrate his 69th birthday with us. After picking them up at the Tampa airport, our first stop was at Willy Yums for coneys.

We spent Friday and Saturday showing them our favorite spots like Mixon's, Anna Maria Island, the nature preserve at Leffis Key, but most of all we laughed! A lot! 

Along the way, we found the Village of the Arts--a neighborhood filled with artist studios, galleries, restaurants and specialty shops. We only visited one gallery, but it was enough for Jeff to land a rather large metal fish complete with rod and reel that we will be shipping to Honesdale, PA. (Or delivering, who knows?) We will be going back to the Village for more exploring soon. Here are just a few pics from Zoe Von Averkamp's Divine Excess Folk Art Gallery. She has an extensive collection of Missionary Mary Proctor's art along with lots and lots of other interesting pieces.

Sadly, the weather was cool and rainy. There were no walks on the beach, but there's no substitute for time with good friends regardless of the weather.  We miss them already!