HEADING NORTH BUT...STILL IN FLORIDA!

It's been about 18 days since our last entry into our blog so we thought we should give everyone an update so you won't think we're too cold to write!

We spent 14 nights in Hillsborough River State Park and again met new friends while there; two being the camp hosts Ray and Linda from Ohio. Great people and our favorite camp hosts. Nancy will now have an "in" to get a job there! Friends we met at Shady Acres RV Park surprised us and showed up in Hillsborough. We had many enjoyable evenings around the campfire and drank lots of wine with Kathy & Jim. We did get in a lot of biking and hiking as this park has a lot to offer in both those areas, even had to blaze our own trail for about a mile as the original trail was flooded and washed out. Look out for snakes and gators! Weather was pretty nice during the day with cool evenings and mornings. We did have one bad storm come through, and we even went to the comfort station for 15 minutes as our weather band radio had us in a tornado warning. One was sighted 8 miles south of us. It never touched ground thank God, but we were up close to hugging a porcelain toilet if the need occurred. Whew!

Like Boy Scouts, campers must always "Be Prepared"....

We spent one day on the outskirts of Tampa touring, what was in the early 1900's, the largest cigar producing city in the world-Ybor City. Now, for readers of our blog who could care less about a good stogie let me tell ya, I was like a kid in a candy store...and not one that was full of those pink cigars either! We spent the afternoon touring this small city and reading about it's history and, of course, why not taste it too. I won't go into all the details of what we saw and where we went, but going to the old Arturo Fuente cigar factory is enough for you cigar lovers to fantasize about taking a wiff..

Nancy and I spent another one of our 14 days in the area to tour Fantasy of Flight in Polk City. It is owned by Kermit Weeks - anyone know Kermit? This was a very nice air museum with airplanes starting at the beginning of flight thru the World Wars. All were flight worthy. In fact, they fly a different plane every day as part of the demonstrations during the scheduled activities of the tour. You could go up in a bi-wing ride or you could also go up in an old Navy bi-wing trainer and fly it yourself with an instructor in the back seat! It was a little cool, and I was in shorts so I passed on it this time.... (And every other time!)

I've never seen such a collection of restored aircraft. P40's, P50 Mustang's, B25's bombers, etc. Three hangers of planes and all owned by one guy who inherited all his money while a sophomore in college. Kermit is an avid flyer who is qualified to fly every one of the planes and has! Pretty neat place. Spent 5 hours there! Kermit has sold planes to The Henry Ford Museum.

All and all we had a nice 14 days in Hillsborough River and left for our next stop, Wildwood Campground in Silver Springs...about 10 miles east of Ocala. We are here now for 11 nights. So far while here, we traveled to Downtown Disney to see our extended family "the Barnett Kids" from Ludington, MI dance at Downtown Disney. Very cute and very professional as they had to be to be chosen to dance at Disney. Enjoyed lunch with the family afterwards. Harry & Lorett, the Grandparents, would be and are, proud! Look forward to seeing them both in Alabama soon. Tomorrow we are going to The Villages to visit a friend from the IRS, Larry & his wife Linda. Mardi Gra is there tomorrow afternoon - YEA! Friday night will visit with our good friends from Gainsville (we met them in 1972 in California at George Air Force Base) So with that....Nancy and I will leave for now and go eat a Woppie Pie from the campground store. Talk to you all later. ENJOY!