After 3 months in Florida, we are ready to hit the road again. It has been a good winter. We didn’t do as much “site seeing” as I thought we would. We did spend lots of time with friends and extended family. That was great, catching up on life with people we don’t see that often.

This past month (March) we spent on the Gulf Coast.  We spent 10 days in the Lake Manatee State Campground near Brandenton.  It is a beautiful state park with bike,canoe,and small boat rental.  Because of the time of year, we had to split our 10 days on three different sites.  It sounded bad at first . But with only water and electric hookup, moving was a good option to visit the classic “dump” station.

While in the area we spent time with our dear friend Carol.  It was good to catch up on life with her.  We also went to our favorite beach restaurant on Anna Marie Island.  They have the best fish dinners.

Carol and Jackie pick out fabric

Another place we visited was The Ringling.  It was the winter home for the Ringling Barnam/Bailey Circus back in the late 1920s/30s.  It is now owned by the state of Florida and has a wonderful museum , art gallery (Mr Ringling’s extensive collection), and the beautiful estate home of the Ringlings.  If you are in the Sarasota area, this is a great place to visit.

Ringling Venetian Gothic style mansion built in 1926

Inside the “Big Top” Circus Museum

After leaving  the Bradenton area, we spent two weeks at Hide-away RV park near Ruskin (a small town near the Tampa Bay area).  Larrie’s cousin Don and Lori live there for the winter.  We had a great time again catching up on each other’s families.  Larrie even got a couple fishing trips in.

Don and Lori

We finished our Florida winter outside of Tallahassee, the states capital.  We spent a day visiting the local museum and the state’s old and new capital buildings.

Restored Old State Capitol of Florida

We are now on the road again.  We will take our time and make our way north to Michigan.  See you soon.

JKA