Day 67 11/21/06 KeyWest Florida

Hello....

Finally the last of the pictures!!! LOL

These pictures are of Key West, I started my day by leaving camp site on Bahia Honda around 9am. I arrived downtown Key West about 10:30 am.

After getting a parking space (hard to find) I took around the ride around the island on the Old Town Trolley. We have this trolley back home in Boston. Its a good way to check out different points of interest- especially for an area that you're not familiar with. I learn a lot of interesting facts about the Keys. I saw where Hemmingway use to live, and where President Truman use to have working vacations. I also saw where Jimmy Buffet plays, and many other famous spots. The Keys have a rich military history too. Most of Key West was re-done in the late 70's. The places sold for very little money, but there was a clause that said the new owners had to rebuild or renovate to the original state that the building were in in the 1800's.

I also visited a butterfly conservatory. This place was very cool. You walk through these doors and watch a short video about butterflies. Then you go through another set of doors. Now you enter a large hot-house type room. There are many plants and trees. There are many,many different kinds of butterflies. They are every where !! LOL

There is also several types of small birds- finch type. It is a definite must see. When you go to leave the room, you pass through another set of doors with huge mirrors on the walls. This is to make sure that you don't have any hitch-hikers leaving with you!!! LOL They fly all around you and even land on you. You also have to watch where you walk cause they like to land on the walk way!! The colors and sizes are amazing.

I finished my day by taking a picture of the most southern point of the Continental USA, seeing where Rt. 1 begins (yes this is the same Rt. 1 that goes all the way up to - and ends in Maine!!! And for those who don'tknow it runs right through Massachusetts) and I made a stop to Mallory Square.

Key West is a party town for sure!! It would be great to spend a few days here with some friends. You can see people walking around with their drinks in hand. In the evening just before the sunsets vendors and entertainers set up their carts in Mallory Square. While I was there, several food vendors, a sword swallowing guy, and a guy with dogs that walked tight-ropes were there. There was also some people playing musical instruments too.

Well I am finally all caught up!!!! Saturday I am going to Sarasota to visit Sue & Warren. I'm sure I'll have more pictures then.

Oh almost forgot to mention this...Saturday we had gone out to dinner. We went to the Chesapeake Bay Crab House in Spring Hill. If you ever find yourself in this area...I highly recommend this restaurant!!! The food was wonderful !!! They also have a guy who plays guitar and sings while you're eating!

Ok time to run now- everyone have a wonderful night, and I'll be back in touch soon- With Love Always-Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #42:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Day 66 11/20/06 Ft. Myers/Bahia Honda State Park

Hi Everyone,

I'm finally getting some-what caught up with my updates!!

The above pictures are:

1-5 Fort Myers- I stayed here one night. It basically was a mobile home park that had empty spots, and instead of filling them with more mobile homes they let RV's and tenter's rent the spots. There is electric & water hook ups at the sites. There was a nice heated pool and clean, large bath house.

6-9 Were taken at an Information Place that I stopped in on the way to Bahia Honda. There were some very hungry fish in a sm. pond just outside the office. There was a banana tree and an orchid tree too.

10-30 This is Bahia Honda State Park. It is one of the 880 keys in Florida. (side note : out of the 880 Keys in Florida- only 30 are inhabited by people) The sites were great!! most were surrounded on 3-sides by trees and a wooden fence. They all had grills & picnic tables, plus electric & water. The site I had was in a good location. If you looked thru the trees at the back of my site the beach was about 100' away. The walk way to beach was about 20' from me (it ran along the side of my site), and the bath house was 30' diagonally across from me!! The beach for swimming was about a 2 min. drive down from me. There were a lot of trails to explore, and they had several nature programs set up so you could learn about the critters in the area!

I was here for 3 days - 2 nights. I would definitely recommend this park to all. One last side note: only tents & pop ups were allowed here- no RV's.

Well I have one more set of pictures to go....the ones of Key West itself!! So I'll be back soon. Until then.... take care everyone-Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #41:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Day 65 - 11/19/06 heading for the Keys

Hi !!

I'm back LOL... Just loaded the pictures for Sunday 11/19/06. This was day #65 of walkabout. It was sunny, breezy, and about 75 degrees out. I left around 10am to head for the Keys. The trip to Keys was to take about 9 hrs, so I decided to break up the driving by stopping and spending the night in Fort Myers.

About 10 mins after leaving, I was driving past a 50's diner called "Mels" (on Rt.19 Port Richey) when I noticed there was a classic car show going on....Well for those of you who know me -I just had to stop!!! LOL It was absolutely great to see all the old muscle cars! There was even a Charger there (my favorite car- use to own one). I was there about an 1hr and decided I best leave before I ran out of time, as I was going to stop by Clearwater Beach before going to Ft. Myers. I hated to leave though, cause the cars were still coming in!!!

I arrived in Clearwater around 12:30pm. It was a beautiful day. There were a lot of people there too. The sand at this beach was soooo white, and very soft! And the water was so warm! There were shells all over the place. At one point I came across a guy who was there with his Macaw- her name was Tiki. He let me take their picture. I also saw a small flock of green parrots with black heads. They were buzzing all around. This beach and all the other beaches along this area are just too pretty to describe. They are a must to see!!

I finally made myself drive on....I made it to the camp ground around 5pm. The next set of pictures will be of the spot in Ft. Myers where I stayed and the campground on the Keys......so I'll be back.....LOL

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #40:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Day 64 - 11/18/06 Saturday

Hi Everyone!!

I'm sorry that I haven't written for awhile things have been busy here! I'm taking today to catch up.....

I'm going to start with Day #64 of journey. It was last Saturday. A bright, warm sunny day. Judy, Danny & I went to the aquarium in Tampa. It was a small but nice place. A lot of colorful fish were to be found there. I hope you enjoy the pictures. Some of the pictures were taken by Danny, some by me.

The port was busy near aquarium. There were two cruise ships docked there that day.

I'll be back in a little while with more pictures and updates.

Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #39:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

A day out in Hudson, FLA area

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to touch base before I headed to Key West.

Last night I went over to my cousin Michael's home and met his wife Denise. We had a nice time chatting and catching up. I haven't seen Michael since about 1971!!! and hadn't had the pleasure of meeting Denise. I enjoyed their company very much. Michael works in the food/restaurant industry, and Denise works for AAA. I will be seeing them again tomorrow when we all meet up at my other cousins home, (Michael's sister) Mia's for dinner. Michael & Denise have also invited me to stay a couple of days with them - when I get back from the Keys. I'm looking forward to spending more time with them.

Today is my Aunt Judy & Uncle Danny's 2yr anniversary. They are going out to dinner & a movie tonight to celebrate.

I ran some errands this afternoon. When I got done I went to Hudson Beach to see if anything was going on. The beach was quiet, but I saw an interesting vehicle there. If you notice the pictures 1- 5..this is the motorcar I saw. It looks like a modified motorcycle type thing!! LOL It really looked like a rocket to me!! I couldn't find who it belonged to...but if I see it again and can find the owner I'll get more details about it.

I then drove to an animal sanctuary that Danny had showed me the other day. Pictures 6-41 are of these animals. There are water buffalo, antelope, emu, ostrich, sheep, camel, reindeer, zebra, and many other critters living here. One woman who stopped while I was there said that the farm is owned by a doctor and his wife (who is a school principle). I guess their son works for some big wild life preserve in FLA. All of the animals are either sick or have been injured. No one was home when I stopped by...I am going to go back and try to find someone to talk to. In order to get more info about this place. Will write about it when I get the information.

Then on my way back to the house I saw a very large crane in a front yard. So I stopped and got some pictures of him too!! LOL (pictures 42-47)

I'm watching a beautiful sunset as I'm typing this...I hope everyone is doing well....take care and I'll be back in touch soon. Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #38:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Sunset on Hudson Beach 11/12/06

Hi Everyone......

I know this is unusual for me to be on twice in one day, but I wanted to show you exactly what I see while watching a sunset down here....I just had to share the evening right away!!

I drove down to Sam's on Hudson Beach to catch the sunset. I arrived at 4 p.m. and was there until 6:26 p.m.

When I first got there I knew I had a bit of a wait, so I grabbed a glass of wine and a good table- with an excellent view of the skyline.

While I was waiting, I was watching the birds...they were floating so effortlessly!!! So I took a few pictures of them.

Then the sun started to do its thing !! LOL

All of the sudden the word was out...there was a dolphin right near the beach. I tried to catch a picture of him fishing, but only was able to catch his fin!! Oh well.....I'll do better next time!!

As I was watching the sunset I started to speak with a young man down here on vacation. He is an officer for the Marion County Sheriff's Department in Indiana. His name was Nik L. We had a real nice conversation. He gave me a number to reach him when I get to Indiana....told him I'd let him know when I was in the area. He said he'd help me find a good/safe place to stay- and an idea of what to see.

I was able to get a total of 79 pictures tonight....I know it's a lot, but I really wanted you to be able to get a feel of what a beautiful sunset it was. I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures, as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Well, I'm off for now...take care everyone, and I'll be back in touch soon.- Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #37:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Hudson, FLA 11/06/06 - 11/12/06

Pictures: (1) Dan's golf buggy; (2) Judy & Dan; (3-10) wildlife & Sam's on the beach; (11-14) Dan & Judy's place; (15-24) more views & wildlife @ Sam's on Hudson Beach; (25-26) entrance to mobile park; (27) Rascal (tabby) & Gidge (white); (28-37) views within the park; (38-39) sunset on Hudson Beach; (40-42) Smitty,Jean,Judy,Dan@ The Inn on the Gulf; (43-55) Wild green parrots in trees on Hudson Beach {make sure you enlarge pictures before viewing-parrots are hard to see cause they blend with the trees LOL}; (56-61) Dan's modified golf buggy and their lighthouse driveway.

Hi Everybody,

Just a brief rundown of my 1st week in Florida.

I arrived in Hudson on Monday, 11/06/06. I landed about 5:530 p.m. This is where my Uncle Danny & Aunt Judy live. After dinner, Danny took me for a quick ride around the park in his modified golf buggy (he did all the work himself).

Tuesday morning we headed to Hudson Beach. We had breakfast at Sam's on the beach. Danny & Judy come to this beach every morning to have coffee & to take in the view and wildlife.

Thursday night- Danny & Judy had a park meeting to go to, so they dropped me off at Sam's. I got some pictures of the sun setting, then I made my way to the Tiki Bar @ Sam's, where I listened to a local band and enjoyed a couple of drinks-waiting for Danny & Judy to return! I met a very nice couple- Deb & Jim. They lived near by. The bands' name was "The Dock Rockers". They played a nice mix of 70's-todays music. The music and drinks were good, the atmosphere was "AWESOME"!! A celebrity was there too....Tony Stewart #20 of NASCAR - he was there enjoying the evening with friends.

Friday night Dan & Judy took me to their favorite pizza place- "Gianni's". The pizza here is real yummy!

Saturday night we met up with friends -Smitty & his wife Jean. We all had dinner together @ "The Inn on the Gulf". This night held another 1st for me.....I tried Grouper. It's a white fish that is popular down here. It was very tasty! After dinner, Smitty & Jean went home. The rest of us walked across the parking lot to Sams, to have a couple of drinks & to listen to another local band- "The Mixx".

Sunday morning, after having our coffee on the beach, we drove around the area. We came to a very, very big flea market! It took us almost 2hrs to make our way through the whole thing. There were muscle cars showing there too. I was good- didn't buy anything!! LOL- Don't have anymore room in the car for anything else!! LOL.

Later tonight I'll go up to the club house to see "Hootenanny"- This is a gathering of local musicians who perform for the other residents. Then I'm heading back to Hudson Beach to get more sunset pictures!!

This week we have plans to visit a local aquarium. Then next weekend I hope to catch up with my friends Sue & Warren, who live in Sarasota. On Monday 11/20/06, I'll be heading to Key West. I have camping reservations @ Bahia Honda State Park, which is about 26 miles outside of Key West.

Keep checking back for more updates & pictures. Hope everyone is doing well- Please take care- With Love Always- Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #36:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Day 54- Homasassa Wildlife Center 11/07/06

Hello everyone.....

I'm finally catching up with all my news!!! LOL I kind of got a bit behind with all the traveling- and being to tired at the end of the day to work on the website! *****Just a quick side note***** I was finally able to solve the picture problem for 10/15/06-I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Now onto what I saw on Wednesday...... Danny & Judy took me to the Homasassa Wildlife Center in Homasassa Springs, FLA. It was a privately owed park for many years, but now is run by the state. When you first get to the center there is a building that has a gift shop, restaurant, displays of local wild life, and other interesting displays. After you pay your admission you can either take a tram or a boat ride to the entrance of the park.

We started with the tram ride to the park. The entrance to the park has another building you go thru which has another gift shop and a snack bar. Then we entered the actual park. The 1st thing we did was make our way to the Manatee show. There are several females (they keep the different sexes in separate parks- so there will be no breeding) living here at park. They have a feeding demo 2x's per day. The park mostly is manned by volunteers. The man who did the feeding demo while we were there was one of those volunteers. He did a good job telling us all about these gentle sea cows. We then headed to the alligator & hippo exhibit. They had demo's for these animals too. Then we strolled around the rest of the park and looked at the exhibits they had on all the local wildlife. It was very interesting to see all the fine critters & birds. We were in the park from 11 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. This is a great place to come see if you ever find yourself in the area!!! Kids (or adults who are kids at heart) would especially love it. It was nice to see the animals in natural habitats. We headed back to the entrance.... this time we took the boat back. It was a nice,quiet (electric boats),peaceful ride back. We ended our visit to the park by having lunch at the restaurant located at the entrance. This restaurantwas done up in the 50's theme!! The waitress even had on a poodle skirt!!! LOL

It was a great day. I really enjoyed the whole experience. I hope all of you enjoy looking at the pictures of the critters & birds.

Until next time- take care of yourselves-With Love Always-Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #35:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Day 52- Savannah, GA 11/06/06

Hello,

Monday was a warm, sunny day- a bit humid. It had rained during the night. I also had a fog horn blowing all night long !!LOL- My hotel was a 15 min. walk away from the river front.

I got up early and decided to check out the river front before my 11 a.m. check out. As I walked to the river, I saw the streets where lined with trees that had Spanish moss hanging from them. This was very pretty- even though I know the moss is bad for the trees (it kills them). There was a mix of old & new buildings in the area. The downtown area is being revitalized. Many old buildings are being gutted out and refurbished.

This reminded me a lot of Boston, with the old & new mix of buildings, cobble stone street, water ways, ferries, and small shops. The bridge that goes over the river even reminds me of "The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge" back home- I think the same guy designed both!! LOL

After spending the morning browsing I was once again in the car and head south to FLA. I arrived in Hudson, FLA around 5:30 p.m. Hudson is where my Uncle Danny & Aunt Judy live. I will stay with them for a couple of weeks and check out the area. I also have two cousins who live close by- will be visiting with them also.

Well, next I have pictures of my trip to a wildlife center that is located near by....so I'll be going now so I can get those pictures together! Take care- Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #34:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Day 51- N.Myrtle Beach & Myrtle Beach, SC

Hi again......

These pictures were taken Sunday - 11/05/06.

I left Tatum, SC around 10 a.m. I head down towards the coast. My first stop was N. Myrtle Beach, SC. It was very pretty- but it felt like a ghost town!!! There were hardly any people around. It was a beautiful sunny day with temps in mid 60's. I took some pictures of the hotels in the Ocean View St., then I walked down onto the beach and took some shots of ocean, and beach front- skyline. I then went back to car and headed down to Myrtle Beach. Here too was very empty!!! It made driving along the main drag- much easier!!! LOL There was a roller coaster right there on the beach front. I took pictures of the coaster- for my "coaster buffs" LOL. After a brief stay I was on the road to GA. I was heading to Savannah, GA to spend the night. The sunset was gorgeous! Hope you enjoy the pictures......

I arrived in Savannah, GA at 7:30 p.m. I got a room at the Econo Lodge on Martin Luther King Blvd. After settling in I went next door and ordered Mexican food for dinner. I enjoyed a margarita while I waited!! LOL I then I brought the food to my room- turned on Monday Night Football- (my boys "The Patriots") were playing! They didn't win, but it was good to see the game (well most of it LOL- I fell asleep before game ended LOL!!!)

Take of yourselves and I'll be back in touch in a little bit- Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #33:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

Day 50 of Walkabout- Cape Hatteras- Outerbanks,NC

Hey Y'ALL....

Here are the pictures that I took when I visited the Outerbanks, NC.

I left Charlotte at 8:30am. Brenda B. came with me, as she needed a ride to SC ( her family home)..... The Outerbanks was reached, around 2:00 p.m. It was a beautiful sunny day with temps around mid 60's. It was quite breezy along the shore.

The sand dunes were so pretty!! When I finally made it to the Cape Hatteras Light, I was so excited!!!! The sun was beginning to set and I was able to get some good shots of the lighthouse. I ran out of daylight and was unable to get to the other two lighthouses in the area. I will be back to this area again- and I'll catch the other lights then.

I then headed to Tatum, SC to drop Brenda off at her family home. We arrived there at 1:30 a.m.- I was most definitely was ready for bed!!! LOL I had put 780 miles on the car that day.....(it was like driving from Home to Maryland)

Well, I have to go get the other pictures from the weekend ready for the website.....I'll be back soon!!!! - Love Donna

SEE PICTURES IN ALBUM #32:http://picasaweb.google.com/Pandadmd5880

On the road again.......

Hey Everybody......

 

Today is Friday 11/3/06.  I'm am packing up the car again, and getting ready to hit the road!!  LOL

I've been here in Charlotte, NC since the end of September.  As most of you know I used this as my home base over the past few weeks.  While here I managed to get to Williamsburg,VA; Asheville,NC; Chimney Rock, NC, Statesville, NC; Crossville, TN; Bennettsville,SC;and Tatum, SC.  There was only one big disappointment and that was not being able to see the Hot Air Balloons (due to weather & a plane crash the day before-at airport)....so I've managed to do pretty good so far.  I've met a lot of nice & interesting people so far.  I'm looking forward to this next few weeks.

I am leaving here Saturday morning (early) and heading to the coast of NC- the Outerbanks specifically- I will then travel south to the Myrtle Beach, SC area.  Then I intend to make my way through GA to my next destination- Hudson, FLA.  This will be the 1st of many stops in FLA.  I have a lot of family & friends in FLA, so I'll probably be in FLA approximately 3-4 weeks.

I am hoping to see many things- two things in particular that I'm working on getting to is Discovery Cove- to spend the day with the dolphins, and Key West area. 

Well, I have to get going now- there is a lot to do and my friends in this area are getting together tonight for one last hurrah!!! LOL

I'll make sure to keep in touch with y'all by  posting my activities through the website...so make sure you keep checking back at the site...... I miss all of you......Take Care of yourself.

                                        Love Always, Donna

http://journals.aol.com/pandadmd/Panda'sWorld/