photography

Got propane, warmed up and then settled in for the week

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Going to see a lot of John Deere vintage tractors this week

Going to see a lot of John Deere vintage tractors this week

Today we went out to dump the black and grey water and get our propane tank filled at a Pilot Travel Center up the road. The cold weather around here means more RV’s using their furnaces. The tech at Pilot told me he has had their bulk propane tank filled three times in the past 48 hours.

This Forida weather is really strange. This morning it was very chilly: we had to fire up the space heater. This afternoon it felt hot, even though the temperature was only a bit above 70: we got the fans out.

Saw this cute little bird near our RV today

Saw this cute little bird near our RV today

We will now stay here until the show is over next Saturday. We are at the Florida Flywheelers Antique Engine  and Tractor show at Ft. Meade in central Florida. We were here for the show in January and decided to return for the February show. This show is featuring John Deere tractors. We have already seen John Deere green and yellow on everything, including the old John Deere tractors, of course.

Over 1700 vendors and exhibitors are expected by the start of the show Wednesday. This place has over 240 acres and is turning into a little city. Vendors and tractor exhibitors have been coming in all day.

 

Beautiful sunset to end the day

Beautiful sunset to end the day

Is that sign for real?

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Today was an uneventful and quiet day. It started out cold, though. The overnite low was 36, and it was chilly this morning. A jacket was the required article of clothing until about mid-morning. We just talked with our fellow vendors throughout the day.

Warning! Or a joke?

Warning! Or a joke?

The sign next to a nearby pond is rather ominous. The pond is about 20 yards from our spot. One of the vendors here told me that if there are no birds on a pond it is a good sign there will be ‘gators in the pond. I guess ‘gators like to eat birds that land on the surface. Hmmmm. We have seen no birds land on the pond or the banks of the pond…

Happy Valentines Day!

Afternoon shopping, an evening of music and a cold night coming

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Buddy and Diane

Buddy and Diane

Today was kind of a mixed bag. We are at the Florida Flywheelers grounds in preparation for the big show that starts next Wednesday. We set up our tables yesterday, and today we needed to make a run to town to get some food and some table cloths for our display tables.

We went through Avon Park and on down US 27 to Sebring. There we did our shopping. We stayed in the WinnDixie parking lot and had a light lunch. By the time we were ready to leave it was getting on into the afternoon.

We drove back to the Orange Box Cafe in Frostproof and had supper. The seafood buffet was quite tasty. After we got done with supper we decided to stick around and listen to the local entertainer Buddy. (See our post on his show here.) Tonight he had his singing partner Diane Pari, with him. Diane is a mother of 5, grandmother of one, and an accomplished singer/songwriter. We heard a couple of her songs that she wrote. She is a great singer and she and Buddy were great singing duets.

Diane Pari, singer/songwriter

Diane Pari, singer/songwriter

Then it was back to our spot at the Flywheelers grounds. We had to get by the deputy at the gate by showing our parking sticker and armbands to get in the grounds. Thus today came to a close, with an overnight low of 36 expected. Seriously? Is this really Florida in February?

 

Local talent at a local cafe in Frostproof, Florida

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Buddy on the guitar and singing

Buddy on the guitar and singing

We went to a nifty little cafe at Frostproof, Florida that had RV parking (see our review) and decided to stay a second night. After supper at the Orange Box we stayed around for the Tuesday entertainment on the outside screened in porch.

The entertainment was provided by Singer/Cover Artist Buddy Lyn.  Buddy sang and played his guitar and had a sound track system for accompaniments to his singing. He sang some of the great country songs from Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Roy Clark and more. Buddy was glad to take requests: nobody asked for anything he could not sing for the crowd.

Buddy also had a friend from Alabama who also sang some songs. Scotty was a good performer and had all of his songs memorized and did not use the prompter. Everyone also enjoyed it when Scotty sang.

Buddy sings every Tuesday and will be back Friday and Saturday nights as well. This Friday his singing partner

Scotty on the mic

Scotty on the mic

Diane will be with him at the Orange Box. We are planning to go back and hear them both perform their Kenny Rogers/Crystal Gayle songs. The Orange Box Cafe provides a nice evening of music on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday nights from 7 to 9.

Orange Box Cafe in Frostproof, Florida has RV parking

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L to R: Nicole, cook Robert, and Libby in front of the salad bar with the Antique store in background

L to R: Nicole, cook Robert, and Libby in front of the salad bar with the Antique store in background

During our travels this winter in Florida we have been blessed to know a couple of couples who we met last year in Ohio during festivals. We have been in contact with them at some of the flea markets we have attended. They told us about a small local cafe near our next event.

The Orange Box Cafe is a favorite of the local residents, and our friends have been here before. The cafe is not only a restaurant, but also a produce store and antique store as well. There is live music on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturday nights.

All six of us had supper there last night. The salad bar is small, but has fresh ingredients including marvelous home made cole slaw. The soup of the day was potato and it was delicious.

Sher and our friends ready to enjoy supper

Sher and our friends ready to enjoy supper

Sher enjoyed the soup and salad bar and I had the same plus the evening special: meatloaf and mashed potatoes. The serving of meatloaf was huge and very tasty. The slice was about 2 inches thick and covered half of the plate, smothered in gravy. One of our party made a special request on the preparation of a Reuben sandwich. No problem with that, the cook will prepare about anything you want.

The service was excellent and we had fun talking with the waitresses. We enjoyed the meal and the company. In addition, this place has a large parking lot for truckers, and they also had six sites suitable for RV’s. So we stayed there overnight and were able to plug into the electric service at the picnic shelter for no charge. This is one of those interesting places you find when you are on the road.

Nice parking spot at the Orange Box Cafe. No charge but be courteous and patronize the cafe.

Nice parking spot at the Orange Box Cafe. No charge but be courteous and patronize the cafe.

A trip across the Howard Frankland Bridge

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Today we left the St. Petersburg area and headed towards an auction in Lakeland. We traveled across Old Tampa Bay on The Howard Frankland Bridge, named for the local businessman who originally proposed the bridge. Nearly 16,000 feet long, it had a second set of lanes added so it now carries four lanes in each direction of I-275. It is a long bridge connecting St. Petersburg and Tampa.

Heading towards Howard Frankland Bridge and Tampa on I-275

Heading towards Howard Frankland Bridge and Tampa on I-275

St. Petersburg’s Red Neck Beach (aka Beer Can Beach)

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During a stop this morning at a yard sale I asked the owner how to get to a nearby beach. (This was after I made a huge $1 purchase!) He gave me easy to follow directions to what he said was known as Red Neck Beach. He said that locals like this beach and that it was free and you can drive right out on the beach and the water. We liked the drive to the water and the free aspect, so off we went.

Looking west towards St. Petersburg

Looking west towards St. Petersburg

Looking east at the beach section with no trees

Looking east at the beach section with no trees

The beach is actually on Tampa Bay, not the Gulf of Mexico. It is adjacent to a causeway that runs from St. Petersburg to the south side of Tampa. As we drove we began to see cars and trucks parked in the gaps between a line of trees on the south side of the highway. Sure enough, we had found Red Neck Beach more properly known as Ganby Beach.

It was a nice warm almost hot day, little breeze and bright sunshine. There were quite a few people out on the beach but in no way was it crowded. The group of young adults next to us were having a great time and they were wading out in the water about twent yards or so.

As beaches go, I have to say that this one is rather lame. The sand was hard packed and not very wide where the tree line is. The area was clean of trash probably because of a recent crackdown and enforcement of ordinances on the books. Now the local police enforce the no campfire, leave by dark rules and are begining to enforce the no alcohol rules if needed.

This little pooch was enjoying a romp on the sand

This little pooch was enjoying a romp on the sand

We did have a relaxed afternoon, got some work done and I got some photography in. I’m not sure I’d recommend a stop here, but it was free!

Note: The driving areas, tough hard packed sand, were very rough with dips and holes. Not suitable for large coaches or trucks with trailers.

 

Out for a sail

Out for a sail

 

 

 

Feathered friends

Feathered friends

 

A relaxing day at one of the Tarpon Springs beaches

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Yesterday we had a very relaxing time at the beach at Howard Park in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The beach is on a small island at the end of a long causeway road. For $5 you get a parking pass good until dusk of that day.

Not a cloud in the sky, but very windy

Not a cloud in the sky, but very windy

We could park in the regular parking spaces

We could park in the regular parking spaces

We got there about 10:30 in the morning and enjoyed watching several guys wind surfing. My did the gusty winds send them flying across the water! Then it was back to the RV for lunch. This location is yet another example of why we love our 24′ Class C coach. The parking lot had spaces that allowed us to park. We could not have done that with a trailer/truck combo or a larger coach.

After lunch we took a walk along the beach. It was invigorating with the wind, but enjoyable all the same. After our walk Sher went back to the RV and I lingered a bit to take some pictures. We even took a little nap mid afternoon!

 

 

The causeway leading from the beach back to the mainland

The causeway leading from the beach back to the mainland

 

A local resident perched on the shower stand

A local resident perched on the shower stand

After our nap we stretched and did a bit of work online. Then another stroll on the beach to enjoy the sun and sand. When it got to be around 5:30 we headed out back across the causeway. We then took a drive through the mainland park. The trees and other vegetation were striking. This park has a great design. There are several shelter houses that can be rented for parties or family get togethers. The layout is such that each shelter house is sheltered (pun intended) from the view of the others. Privacy is a good thing.

All in all we had a fantastic day. It is days like this that make you grateful to be able to live this crazy RV lifestyle.

 

One of the magnificent old trees in the park

One of the magnificent old trees in the park