Winter Escape 2023 - Week 6

Monday, February 20, 2023 – today, in the midst of Winter Escape 2023 there will be a mix of the mundane and special moments.  The day began with another amazing sunrise on the Atlantic Ocean followed by laundry.  Most RV parks have a laundry facility, however it takes about 1 ½ hours to get the laundry washed, dried and put away.  After laundry it was to the gym for a workout and then lunch and a nap.  After a nap, I took a walk on the beach and found that there were shells on the beach for the picking.  Got my pick and took them back to the RV for them to dry out and the sand to fall off.  We then made our way to New Smyrna Beach to meet up with my cousin David and his wife Sandy along with one of their daughters, Candice and her two sons.  Blackbeard’s Inn was the restaurant of choice.  I ordered a side salad, fish chowder, shrimp and rice – with rolls and cinnamon rolls and unsweet ice tea.  It was a great late evening meal with a great time of stories and memories and family.  Another great day in our Winter Escape.

Tuesday, February 21, 2023 – began with a trip to the gym for a workout.  Following the work-out I made a stop at Publix for some groceries and then it was back to the RV.  After lunch it was time for a nap.  High tide was around 2:00 p.m. and I made my way over to Beverly Beach to search for more shells.  Needless to say, being here for three weeks is providing ample opportunity for me to find shells for my jar at home.  However, I also have some that are going to be too big to fit in the jar – so will have to figure that out when we get home.

Spent the evening at the Clubhouse playing BINGO.  I won the first game and picked up $9.00 for the win.  It was a good evening as we sat with someone from Iowa that we have talked to several different times and they’ll be here again next year.  Also figured out that a four-week stay and a three-week stay at Beverly Beach Camptown RV park both cost the same price.  So, I’ll be changing out next year’s reservation for a month at this park.  Worked on plans for Friday on our way back to the RV – as we’ll be meeting up with friends and we are looking forward to Friday on the west coast.  Also, have figured out that our Winter Escape is beginning to wind down.  God is good.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023 -  was a quiet morning around the RV.  Went to the gym and did some sorting and packing.  After a nap, we went to Ormond Beach and browsed a couple of antique stores, picking up a couple of items for Arkansas and some View Master slides for family.  Then we drove to Perrines for some groceries with a stop at Goodwill for a storage container and a quilt shop for a couple of Florida panels.  Being late afternoon, we then went back to Aunt Catfish’s for dinner and again were not disappointed.  An evening drive on A1A through Daytona and then it was back to the RV for the evening.

Thursday, February 23, 2023 – began with a trip to the gym and then back to the RV.  After another round of laundry, I made some pickled onions with a strawberry onion from Plant City and did some tidying up of the RV.  And now it’s noon and time for lunch.  We are meeting up with a Kansas friend of 40 years (we were both United Methodist clergy and classmates in 1983 at Kansas West’s Licensing School for local pastors).  Once Nancy and her nephew, Andrew from England arrived, we made plans for lunch at Safe Harbor in Crescent Beach.  Seafood with sides and a slice of Key Lime pie were amazing.  After lunch it was back to Beverly Beach for an afternoon walk on the beach – collecting seashells and Vitamin D.  Andrew had his box camera and was on the job of taking 12 photos of assorted beach scenes and was not disappointed, though it will be a bit of time before the film is developed and he’ll know what photos he has.  The afternoon came to a close and time for Nancy and Andrew to make their way back to Orlando/Kissimmee to meet up with family.  Nancy and I spent a quiet evening at the RV.

Friday, February 24, 2023 – is a long-awaited trip to the west coast (Bradenton) to meet up with Larry & Nyla Grose.  Nyla and I co-taught senior high Sunday school class in Arkansas City in 1983-85 as I served my first appointment as associate pastor in the Kansas West Conference of the United Methodist Church.  We made it over to Larry & Nyla’s after going a wrong way, because I missed putting a piece to their address in the GPS, on a scenic route to an address on the east side of Bradenton.  After getting to the west side of town and a quick hello, we went to the Seafood Shack in Cortez for an amazing lunch of grouper sandwiches, fish tacos and crab cakes with sides and drinks.  

It’s always a good afternoon with Larry & Nyla as we continue to enjoy our conversation of family and friends from our earlier years together.  We left mid-afternoon to head back to Flagler with stops at Parkesdale Market in Plant City and Buc-ee’s in Daytona.  As we made it past Lakeland on I-4 eastbound we hit congested traffic all the way to Disney @ Kissimmee.  From there traffic cleared up to a certain extent – and with the express lane through Orlando we made good time back to the RV.  And an added benefit was a call from one of our grandsons helped make the miles go faster.  It’s always good day when we are able to catch up with friends who mean so much to us.  Another good day in our Winter Escape.

Saturday, February 25, 2023 -  we met up with Sandy, my cousin David’s wife, at the American Quilt Society show in Daytona early morning.  It was then a morning of quilts made by creative and skilled artisans and show vendors.  After several hours we went to “Our Deck Down Under” a seafood restaurant under the Florida A1A & Dunlawton Avenue Bridge for a great lunch on the deck with perfect weather.  After saying goodbye, we made our way back to the RV for naps and a beach walk.  

We then went to Port Orange for a birthday dinner to celebrate Nancy’s and Bobbi’s birthdays, both born on the 25th – a year a part.  Michael & Bobbi’s grandkids and one of their sons joined us.  It was a Saturday night and the wait for our table was a long one.  Once seated, dinner was filled with good food and conversation.  Side-note: Michael is retired fire department, Bobbi is a retired nurse, and one of their grandchildren currently works for a fire department/EMS.  That said, just before our food was served, another restaurant patron had a medical emergency and the three of them helped with the initial medical response – awaiting the Port Orange EMS response.  Once their help was no longer needed, we finished dinner and had cheesecake for their birthdays.  It was then back to the RV and time to call it a night.

Sunday, February 26, 2023 – we got up and around.  I spent some time on the computer and the phone reworking our panhandle stops on our way home.  We then went to church at Palm Coast United Methodist Church.  It’s about 20 miles northwest of Flagler and is an ethnically diverse congregation with an amazing music team/choir consisting largely of African/Americans.  You had to hear the music – to appreciate the spirit and power of the morning.  Pastor – gave a great message on the “Great Invitation” from Matthews words of Jesus – “Come to Me all who are tired & weary…”  and bonus, pastor finished the service in 50 minutes.  Back to the RV and I changed and made my way to the gym for a late morning workout.  Then it was back for a light lunch and laundry followed by a nap.  The rest of the early afternoon was spent putting some outside items into the storage compartments and another walk on the beach.  

We left Flagler around 4:00 for Titusville to meet my cousin, Martha for dinner at Hoffmans Table in Titusville’s historic district.  You couldn’t ask for better scratch made food.  We spent the next couple of hours eating and talking until it was finally time to say our goodbyes.  It was back to the RV for the evening with some TV and work on the blog.  It’s been an amazing way to end our 3 weeks in Flagler Beach.  Tomorrow we will make our way to St. Augustine Beach for a couple of days as we begin to make our way back to Kansas. The trick to coming home will be watching the weather and missing the snow.